In a case of first impression, a state appeals panel held the restrictions the Illinois Supreme Court placed on a party’s ability to swap out judges in a civil case applied equally to both plaintiffs and defendants.Illinois law gives the parties the right to substitute the judge in a civil case without cause, unless the judge has issued a ruling on a “substantive issue” in the litigation.But that right is exhausted in litigation where plaintiffs voluntarily withdrew their complaint and then refiled, the …