Pragmatic optimism is in short supply these days, but two Illinois Supreme Court justices embody such a philosophy.

Last week Lauren Warnecke, of Bloomington’s WGLT-FM , spoke with Justices Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien about a range of topics, notably the success of McLean County’s family treatment court. It’s the only such program in the state, operating since October 2024 on a $750,000 federal grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The program is offered to parents brought into the court system on child welfare concerns involving substance abuse. Optimism in such situations tends to be rare, and with good reason.

Rather than a directly punitive approach, those who opt-in can access an interventionist approach. That means more frequent cour

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