ILCS » Chapter 750 · Act 50
Illinois Compiled Statutes

750 ILCS 50/18 (2026)

Records confidential

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section IL-ILGAilga.gov JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
(750 ILCS 50/18) (from Ch. 40, par. 1522)
    Sec. 18. Records confidential.
    (a) The word "illegitimate", the words "born out of wedlock", and words of similar import shall not be used in any adoption proceeding in any respect.
    (b) The court call of adoption proceedings shall not identify any of the parties by name. The parties may be identified by initials or pseudonyms. The case shall be identified by its general number. The names of the lawyers representing the parties may appear on the court call, and the type of application that is being made to the court may also be identified.
    (c) All adoption records maintained by each circuit clerk shall be impounded in accordance with the procedures provided by the Illinois Supreme Court's General Administrative Order on Recordkeeping and shall be opened for examination only upon specific order of the court, which order shall name the person or persons who are to be permitted to examine the file. Certified copies of all papers and documents contained in any file so impounded shall be made only on like order. The guardian ad litem for a minor sought to be adopted shall have the right to inspect the court file without leave of court during the pendency of the proceeding. The attorney of record for the petitioners and other parties may inspect the file only with leave of court. The petitioners to the adoption, the attorney of record for the petitioners, and the guardian ad litem of the person who is the subject of the proceeding shall be entitled to receive certified copies of the order of adoption in the proceeding at any time within 30 days after the entry of the judgment of adoption without order of court. After 30 days from the entry of the judgment of adoption, no copies may be obtained without prior order of court, but good cause is not necessary to be shown by one of the petitioners to the adoption.
    (d) If an appeal is taken from an adoption proceeding, the papers filed in the court of review and the opinion of the reviewing court shall not identify the true names of the parties; instead, initials or pseudonyms shall be used to identify the parties.
(Source: P.A. 86-493; 87-620.)

    
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1999–2000 · leading case: In re J.D., 317 Ill. App. 3d 419 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
In re J.D., 317 Ill. App. 3d 419 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000). · cites it 4× “After 30 days from the entry of the judgment of adoption, no copies may be obtained without prior order of court, but good cause is not necessary to be shown by one of the petitioners to the adoption. (d) If an appeal is taken from an adoption proceeding, the papers filed in the…”
In Re Jd, 739 N.E.2d 1036 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000). · cites it 4× “After 30 days from the entry of the judgment of adoption, no copies may be obtained without prior order of court, but good cause is not necessary to be shown by one of the petitioners to the adoption.”
In Re Cma, 715 N.E.2d 674 (Ill. App. Ct. 1999). “750 ILCS 50/18 et seq. (West 1996). For the foregoing reasons, the orders entered by Judge McDunn on February 13, 1999, and on March 4, 1999, are hereby vacated and held null and void.”
In Matter of Petition of C. M. A., 306 Ill. App. 3d 1061 (Ill. App. Ct. 1999). “Finally, we observe that in making this appointment and permitting FRC access to the court’s files, Judge McDunn improperly disseminated sensitive and confidential information to nonparties, in violation of section 18 of the Adoption Act.”
— 750 ILCS 50/18(c) — 2 cases
In re J.D., 317 Ill. App. 3d 419 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000). “After 30 days from the entry of the judgment of adoption, no copies may be obtained without prior order of court, but good cause is not necessary to be shown by one of the petitioners to the adoption. (d) If an appeal is taken from an adoption proceeding, the papers filed in the…”
In Re Jd, 739 N.E.2d 1036 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000). “After 30 days from the entry of the judgment of adoption, no copies may be obtained without prior order of court, but good cause is not necessary to be shown by one of the petitioners to the adoption.”
— 750 ILCS 50/18(d) — 2 cases
In re J.D., 317 Ill. App. 3d 419 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000). “After 30 days from the entry of the judgment of adoption, no copies may be obtained without prior order of court, but good cause is not necessary to be shown by one of the petitioners to the adoption. (d) If an appeal is taken from an adoption proceeding, the papers filed in the…”
In Re Jd, 739 N.E.2d 1036 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000). “After 30 days from the entry of the judgment of adoption, no copies may be obtained without prior order of court, but good cause is not necessary to be shown by one of the petitioners to the adoption.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.