What Are Interrogatories In An Illinois Divorce? The first discovery step in an Illinois divorce case is usually the issuance of interrogatories. Interrogatories are “a series of formal written questions used in the judicial examination of a party or a witness.” Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014) In Illinois, every divorce litigant has the right to issue interrogatories and have them answered “A party may direct written interrogatories to any other party. A copy of the interrogatories shall be served on all other parties entitled to notice.” Ill. Sup. Ct. R. 213(a) Interrogatories have to be relevant questions. “It is the duty of an attorney directing interrogatories to restrict them to the subject matter of the particular case, to avoid undue detail, and to avoid the imposition of any unnecessary burden or expense on the answering party.” Ill. Sup. Ct. R. 213(b) “In an effort to avoid discovery disputes, the practitioner is encouraged to utilize interrogatories approved by the Supreme Court” Ill. Sup. Ct. R. 213(j) If you don’t want to answer an interrogatory question simply object to the question. After an objection is made it is the duty of the interrogatory issuer to go to court to enforce their own interrogatory.