Rule Text
(a) Delinquent Minors. Appeals from final judgments in delinquent minor proceedings, except as otherwise specifically provided, shall be governed by the rules applicable to criminal cases.
(b) Other Proceedings. In all other proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act, appeals from final judgments shall be governed by the rules applicable to civil cases.
(c) All Proceedings. In all appeals filed from proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act, the minor(s) shall be identified by first name and last initial or by initials only. The preferred method is first name and last initial. The alternative method of initials only is to be used when, due to an unusual first name or spelling, the preferred method would create a substantial risk of revealing a minor’s identity. The name(s) of the involved minor(s) shall not appear on any documents filed with the Appellate Court or any subsequent court.
Amendment history: Adopted September 8, 1975, effective October 1, 1975; amended July 1, 1985, effective August 1, 1985; amended October 1, 2001, effective immediately.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
When a young person is involved in a juvenile court case and someone wants to appeal the decision, the type of case decides which appeal rules apply. If the case involves a minor accused of a crime (called a delinquency case), the appeal follows the same rules used in criminal cases. If the case involves anything else under the Juvenile Court Act, such as abuse or neglect cases, the appeal follows the rules used in civil cases.
No matter what type of juvenile case is being appealed, the minor's full name can never appear on any court documents. Instead, the minor must be identified by their first name and last initial, like "John S." If the first name is unusual enough that even this could reveal who the child is, then only initials should be used. This rule exists to protect the privacy of minors involved in court cases.
Committee Notes
Rule 660 was added in 1975 to clarify the procedure in appeals from determinations under the Juvenile Court Act. It provides simply that appeals from determinations in delinquency proceedings are governed by the rules applicable to appeals in criminal cases, and all other appeals under the Act are governed by the rules governing appeals in civil cases. Paragraph (b) was amended in 1985 to delete references to “minors in need of supervision,” “neglected minors” and “dependent minors,” because of various additions, deletions and changes in the labels which are now applied to minors who may be adjudicated wards in proceedings before the circuit court. Paragraph (c) was added effective October 1, 2001, to help protect the identities of minors. The amendment requires that their first name and last initial, or their initials only, appear on documents filed with the Appellate Court or any subsequent court. The requirement covers the parties’ briefs, motions, and other similar papers. The amendment does not require deletion of names from the trial court record in preparing the record on appeal, nor does it address the means by which the Appellate Court or a subsequent court maintains the confidentiality of documents appearing in the record.
