Kalea Blanke had struggled with drug addiction since she was 14 years old, oftern stealing mail to fund her habit.
After getting in trouble with the law, the now 35-year-old Blanke was assigned to the Skokie Drug Treatment Court, led by the Hon. Michele Gemskie. There, she was offered a path to start over.
This summer, the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Domestic Violence Division, along with Loyola University of Chicago, brought together members of the judiciary, legal practitioners, victim advocates, supervised child visitation and safe exchange centers, and Partner Abuse Intervention Programs (PAIP) to help develop a continuum of services aimed at achieving long-term justice for families experiencing domestic violence.
The Chicago Tribune provided coverage of Judge Beach's victory in the 2025 Chief Judge election.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/10/ctc-l-evans-out-chief-judge/
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin provided coverage of Judge Charles S. Beach II's election to Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Injustice Watch provided coverage of Judge Beach's election to the Chief Judge position. The new term begins Dec. 1, 2025.
The Hon. Charles Beach was elected today to a first term overseeing the Circuit Court of Cook County. Beach secured the victory by a vote of 144 to 109, with one spoiled ballot.
The Chicago Crusader covered the recent first graduation class at the Sauk Village Restorative Justice Community Court. Here is their story: Sauk Village Restorative Justice Community Court Celebrates its First Graduation Class
Cook County Chronicle's coverage of the inaugural Sauk Village Restorative Justice Community Court
https://chronicleillinois.com/government/restorative-justice-program-sees-first-suburban-graduates/
CBS 2 Chicago's Lauren Victory covered Monday's historic celebration of the first graduation class of the Sauk Village Restorative Justice Community Court.
The Sauk Village Restorative Justice Community Court (RJCC), the first of its kind in the Cook County suburbs, will celebrate its first graduating class at noon Monday.
Sauk Village will celebrate 10 graduates at the noon ceremony, to be held at the Sauk Village Community Center, 2700 Kalvelage Dr. The celebration is open to the community and media.
A power outage, which closed the Sixth Municipal District courthouse in Markham on Tuesday morning, has caused cases scheduled to be heard at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. and where parties were not able to be in court to be rescheduled, said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Sixth Municipal District Presiding Judge Tommy Brewer.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans spoke at a SEED Court graduation August 5 at the Criminal Courthouse.
SEED (Supporting Education and Employment Development) is a deferred prosecution program that serves young adults, aged 18-26, charged with gun offenses or with selling or intending to sell illegal drugs. Upon successful completion of the program, defendants are eligible to have their court and arrest records expunged.
The success of the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Restorative Justice Community Courts (RJCC) for young adults is drawing attention from other states – including Illinois’ neighbor to the north.
Representatives from Dane County, including the Hon. Nia Trammell of the Dane County Circuit Court, observed the Avondale Restorative Justice Community Court on Friday to learn how it operates. Dane County, the second most-populous county in Wisconsin, intends to unveil a similar program this fall for young people ages 17-35.
Two adult drug treatment courts operating in the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Criminal Division have been awarded Adult Redeploy Illinois (ARI) funding, totaling more than $1 million for the upcoming state fiscal year. These courts serve high-risk/high-need adults charged with a non-violent drug, theft, or property related felony offenses who are diagnosed with a severe substance use disorder by providing treatment and support to reduce recidivism.
The Circuit Court of Cook County Restorative Justice Community Court program has been recognized with a 2025 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The award honors innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.
The Restorative Justice Community Court was established by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans in 2017. Since that time, the courts have assisted more than 600 young adults, ages 18 -26, charged with non-violent felony or misdemeanor crimes, reintegrate into their communities.
During a recent visit to the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, staff gave the Hon. Michael Hood a tour of the organization’s Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) which, when deployed, provides health care to unhoused veterans by mental health clinicians, social workers and other health providers.
Judge Hood, who presides over the Veterans Treatment Courts in Skokie, said he immediately saw a benefit to having the MMU visit the Skokie Courthouse in the Second Municipal District.
CBS 2 Chicago's Shardaa Gray's report on the June 25, 2025 graduation of the Englewood Restorative Justice Community Court.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/englewood-restorative-justice-community-court-graduation-2025/
WGN's Bronagh Tumulty highlights the June 25, 2025 graduation of 22 participants in the Englewood Restorative Justice Community Court.
When Xavier Smith was arrested for driving a vehicle he alleges he didn’t know was stolen, it was just the latest life-altering event to occur to the 26-year-old. Despite a childhood spent in foster care and being an unhoused adult who recently experienced the violent shooting death of his infant daughter and her mother, he vows this most recent setback has actually put him on the right track for the first time.
It’s graduation season, and many Chicago-area families are celebrating their children’s graduation from colleges and universities. Unfortunately, some young people involved in the criminal justice system have never considered college for themselves and see a limited future.
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin profiles newly appointed Acting Presiding Judge of the Law Division Thomas V. Lyons.
Chief Judge Evans is pleased to announce the following judicial assignments.
The Hon. Thomas V. Lyons, II, has been appointed Acting Presiding Judge of the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, effective immediately.
Judge Lyons was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2008, and was elected to that position in 2010. Judge Lyons began his judicial career in Traffic Court, and then as a jury trial judge in the First Municipal District. Since 2014, Judge Lyons has served as a trial judge in the Law Division.
Nine individuals at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse will get a new beginning on Thursday afternoon when they graduate from the (W)RAP Drug Court program.
For Juanez Wakefield, graduation means victory over four decades of drug use and freedom from a drug delivery charge.
“I decided it was time to stop messing with my life,” said Wakefield, 53, who started using drugs at 13 and is now almost two years sober. She said her life is “awesome,” with a union job at Jewel and a studio apartment in Lincoln Park.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today posted a vacancy notice for the office of associate judge of the Cook County Circuit Court.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans penned a special editorial in today's Chicago Law Bulletin, to commemorate Law Day.
https://www.lawyerport.com/chicagolawbulletin/search-for-new-solutions-be-creative-20250428
Rebecca Acton was charged with burglary in 2009 and got probation. But she kept getting into trouble – failing to check in with her probation officer and catching new felony charges as she struggled with heroin addiction.
Though none of the new charges stuck, Acton feared being sent to jail for violating probation. She went on the run, leaving the northern suburbs and moving to Wisconsin. Acton got off drugs. Then she wanted to go into motivational speaking and get a clean slate, which meant turning herself in.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans welcomed a cohort of county leaders from across the country, Monday, for a National Association of Counties (NACo) peer exchange visit to Cook County. The visit marks the third and final in-person meeting for the CORE Justice Network, a program focused on empowering county leaders to identify and eliminate disparities in the local justice system.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans joined Fox 32's Paris Schutz to discuss the transition of the county's electronic monitoring program to the Office of the Chief Judge. The discussion begins at the 20:48 mark.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans discusses the strengths of the Adult Probation Department's Electronic Monitoring Program, which transitioned on April 1, with Brandis Friedman, of WTTW News.
Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, along with other judges and staff at the Criminal Courthouse, hosted the United Kingdom’s Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC on Tuesday to share details regarding the Court’s innovative Problem-Solving Courts and Restorative Justice programs.
Both of these court programs help to divert those convicted of non-violent felonies into programs that give participants a second chance and help them to work on the problems that led them into the criminal justice system.
