News Room

Discussions continue on the upcoming phases of operation in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The court is currently operating on its modified schedule through May 31. The court continues to monitor the pandemic and is mindful that the pandemic is not expected to peak until mid-June.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today entered an

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today entered an

Many criminal and civil cases in the Circuit Court of Cook County will be postponed for a 30-day period starting Tuesday (March 17) due to the spread of the coronavirus, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced today.

Court operations will proceed as scheduled on Monday (March 16). The 30-day period runs from March 17 through April 15.

Pursuant to action taken Wednesday by the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Circuit Judge Jackie Marie Portman-Brown has been reassigned to administrative duties. The assignment is effective until further notice.

The committee is aware that a security camera at the Leighton Criminal Court Building recorded Judge Portman-Brown placing a child relative into an empty lockup. On February 26, Chief Judge Evans directed Criminal Division Presiding Judge LeRoy K. Martin Jr. to assign Judge Portman-Brown to administrative duties.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded the Cook County justice system a $2.5 million grant to continue advancing criminal justice reform. Today’s announcement brings the MacArthur Foundation’s total investment in Cook County to $4.4 million.

The Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County today announced its selection of the 30 candidates who will seek appointment to15 Associate Judge vacancies by a vote of the Circuit Judges. All of the candidates received across-the-board positive ratings from the bar associations.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today appointed Honorable Daniel B. Malone to serve as the Acting Presiding Judge of the court’s Probate Division. The appointment is effective today. 

Judge Malone became a circuit judge in 2009. He initially served in the First Municipal District and has served in the Probate Division since 2013. In the Probate Division, he has heard cases involving decedent’s estates and guardianship matters involving minors and individuals with disabilities.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today released a report that reviews the initial results of his order that established new bail practices in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Chief Judge Evans’ General Order 18.8A took effect on September 18, 2017. The report compares outcomes in two 15-month time periods before and after the order’s effective date: (1) July 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017 and (2) October 1, 2017 through December 31, 2018.

The report shows that the increased release of defendants from jail did not increase the threat to public safety in Cook County.

To ensure that nobody is placed in danger while traveling to and from court due to the anticipated historic cold temperatures for our area, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced today that the Circuit Court of Cook County will be closed on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 and Thursday, January 31, 2019.

The Circuit Court of Cook County opened an Adult Drug Treatment Court today at the Rolling Meadows courthouse, ensuring that problem-solving courts are available to nonviolent felony defendants throughout the entire system.

In advance of the Illinois bicentennial celebration on December 3, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans will unveil a portrait of Abraham Lincoln that will be displayed in the Jury Assembly Room of the Richard J. Daley Center.    

The Circuit Court and Cook County have finalized the scheduled closing of two Chicago branch court locations – 155 W. 51^st St. and 2452 W. Belmont Ave.  – to take effect after court concludes on January 4, 2019.

The two branch court closings, which were finalized as part of the budget litigation settlement between the county and the court, will help the county avoid $9.2 million in repairs, renovations and maintenance that would be necessary to keep the two buildings safe, operational and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Pursuant to action taken Monday by the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Circuit Judge William H. Hooks has been referred to anger-management counseling while he performs administrative duties until further notice. 

The committee is aware that Judge Hooks is accused of acting in such a manner that created a hostile work environment for another judge. The alleged conduct did not occur inside a courtroom. Judge Hooks expressed contrition to the Executive Committee regarding the matter. The committee referred the matter to the Judicial Inquiry Board. 

Pursuant to action taken Wednesday by the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Circuit Judge Mauricio Araujo and Associate Judge Richard D. Schwind have been reassigned to administrative duties. The assignments are effective until further notice. 

The Executive Committee’s decision on the reassignments followed a meeting of the Circuit Court of Cook County Executive Committee convened by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. 

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans’ creation of a Pretrial Division and his entering of General Order 18.8A on bail and pretrial release in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

The Circuit Court has processed and validated nine months of administrative data to present the following facts:

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today appointed Honorable Raul Vega to serve as the Acting Presiding Judge of the court’s Domestic Violence Division. The appointment is effective September 4, 2018.

Judge Vega was elected a circuit judge in 2002. He initially served in the First Municipal District and has served in the Domestic Relations Division since June 2003. He has heard just about every type of domestic relations matter, such as divorces, child-custody disputes and requests for orders of protection.

Please see the statement below from Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans on the settlement agreement in Evans v. County of Cook:

“I am pleased that the court and the county could come together to settle this matter. Overall, the court will receive an additional $11.1 million – a combination of new funding and budget credits.

Pursuant to action taken Wednesday by the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Associate Judge Joseph Michael Claps has been reassigned to administrative duties. The assignment is effective until further notice. 

The Executive Committee’s decision to reassign Judge Claps followed a meeting of the Circuit Court of Cook County Executive Committee convened by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. 

Please see the below statement issued by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans:

“I join the legal community in mourning the passing of our friend and my former law professor, George N. Leighton. He served the public in many ways as a Circuit Judge, an Illinois Appellate Justice and a U.S. District Court Judge.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today published the outcomes of bond court throughout the Circuit Court of Cook County since his general order on bail took effect last year. This is the first comprehensive release of performance measures related to bail reform.

The Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County today announced its selection of the 34 candidates who will seek appointment to 17 Associate Judge vacancies by a vote of the Circuit Judges.

Statement by Chief Judge Timothy Evans:

"Due to the winter storm warning that predicts 10-14 inches of snowfall in the Chicagoland area between Thursday February 8, 2018, 6 p.m. and Friday, February 9, 2018, 9 p.m., and to ensure that no one is placed in a position of danger in getting to court, the Circuit Court of Cook County will be closed Friday, February 9, 2018.  

The Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County decided today to reconvene the Associate Judge selection process in April.

The Nominating Committee took this action to avoid overlap with the March primary in which several applicants for Associate Judge are also running for Circuit Judge, and to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts’ mandatory Education Conferences that judges will attend in February and April.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today appointed Dr. Thomas Lyons to serve as the Interim Chief Probation Officer of the Adult Probation Department of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Dr. Lyons, 51, succeeds Lavone Haywood, who retired on December 29 after a four-decade career with the department. Under the interim appointment, Dr. Lyons will temporarily vacate his current role as the Director of the Research and Evaluation Unit in the Office of the Chief Judge.

The Circuit Court of Cook County is partnering with Safer Foundation to help probation clients secure long-term employment, reducing the likelihood that they will re-offend and return as defendants to the criminal justice system.

Announced today by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and President Victor Dickson of Safer Foundation, the initiative is funded through a $4.5 million grant that Safer Foundation received from the U.S. Department of Labor to work with 563 adults in Illinois and Iowa.

Chicago Lawyer magazine cites work on criminal justice reform in 2017

Chicago Lawyer magazine has named Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans its Person of the Year for 2017.

“We took several steps forward this year to protect constitutional rights and reduce the jail population because justice required us to do so. I am honored to receive this recognition of the progress we have made in our court system in 2017,” Chief Judge Evans said.

The magazine cited three initiatives that began this year. In the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chief Judge Evans:

Please see the below statement from Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans:

"The manner in which the President and County Board imposed 156 layoffs on the operations under the authority of the Chief Judge is unprecedented.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced today that he is accepting applications as part of a nationwide search for the next chief probation officer of the Adult Probation Department.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded a $1.85 million grant today to the Cook County justice system to safely reduce the jail population, divert certain nonviolent offenders from the court system and track efforts to remind defendants about future court dates.