RulesofCivilProcedure.com Civil Procedure · Every State

Rule 330.Captions in Reviewing Courts

Article III. Civil Appeals Rules · Part C. Record on Appeal · Last amended 2017 · Last verified July 20, 2026

In one sentenceRule 330 requires every document filed in a reviewing court, other than a brief, to carry a standard caption with the case number, court, party names and appellate designations, and the document's title, and protects the identity of mental-health service recipients in related filings.

Full Text of Ill. S. Ct. R. 330

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) Any document, other than a brief (see Rule 341(b)), filed in a reviewing court shall contain a caption that includes:
(1) the number of the case in the reviewing court;
(2) the name of the reviewing court, with identification of district and division, where applicable;
(3) the name of the case as it appeared in the trial court, except that the status of each party in the reviewing court shall also be indicated (e.g., plaintiff-appellant). In the case of an action for direct review in the appellate court of a final administrative decision, the parties shall be designated as petitioner(s) and respondent(s) (see Rule 335);
(4) the name of the court (or agency) from which the case was brought and the docket number in that court (or agency), and when applicable in the Supreme Court, the name of the court (or agency) where the case originated and the docket number in that court (or agency);
(5) the name of the trial judge entering the judgment to be reviewed; and
(6) the title of the document.
(b) In all appeals filed from proceedings under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act, or from actions for collection of fees for mental health services, the recipient of services 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 the recipient’s identity. The name of the involved recipient of services shall not appear on any documents filed with the Appellate Court or any subsequent court.
End

Plain-English Summary

Rule 330 standardizes how filings identify themselves once a case reaches the Appellate Court or Supreme Court. Nearly every document — everything but a brief, which has its own cover requirements — has to show the case number, the reviewing court's name and district, the case as it was captioned below with each party's new role added (plaintiff-appellant, for example), the originating court or agency and its docket number, the trial judge, and the title of the document itself.

Rule 330(b) adds a privacy protection specific to mental health cases: appeals involving the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, its Confidentiality Act, or fee disputes over mental health services can't name the recipient of services in full. Filings identify that person by first name and last initial, or by initials only if an unusual name would otherwise reveal who they are.

Frequently Asked Questions

What has to appear in the caption of a document filed in the Appellate or Supreme Court?
The case number, the reviewing court's name and district, the trial court caption with each party's new appellate designation, the originating court or agency and docket number, the trial judge's name, and the document's title.
Does the caption requirement apply to briefs?
No. Rule 330(a) applies to documents other than briefs, which have their own cover-page requirements under Rule 341.
How are mental health case parties identified in appellate filings?
By first name and last initial, or by initials only if that's needed to avoid revealing an unusual name, under Rule 330(b).
Does the confidentiality rule for mental health cases apply to the trial court record too?
No. It applies to documents filed with the Appellate Court or a later court, not to the underlying trial record.
What kinds of cases trigger the mental health confidentiality caption rule?
Appeals under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, the related Confidentiality Act, and actions to collect fees for mental health services.

Committee Comments and Commentary

This rule has been added to encourage uniformity and requires the use of complete captions on virtually all documents filed in the reviewing court. Paragraph (b) was added effective October 1, 2001, to help protect the identities of recipients of mental health services. The amendment requires that only their first name and last initial, or their initials, 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 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.

Amendment History

Adopted December 17, 1993, effective February 1, 1994; amended October 1, 2001, effective immediately; amended June 22, 2017, eff. July 1, 2017.

Source & verification. Rule text, official Committee Comments, and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Supreme Court Rules, promulgated by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Last verified July 20, 2026. · Official source
Also known as: appellate caption requirementsmental health case confidentiality appealcase caption Illinois appealappellant appellee caption