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. 

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.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C.

Starting on Tuesday, April 1, the Cook County Sheriff will stop accepting new Electronic Monitoring (“EM”) participants and all new court orders to EM will be sent to the Adult Probation Department Pretrial Services (“APD”).

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced a pilot project that will combine cases involving mental health treatment and guardianship before a single judge, thus providing more clarity and support for respondents and their families. 

For the first time since 2020, and 2014 before that, Valentine’s Day lands on a Friday, which also happens to be the most popular day for courthouse weddings. 

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has appointed the Hon. Andrea M. Buford to serve as Acting Presiding Judge of the Child Protection Division.

Judge Buford replaces Presiding Judge Robert Balanoff, who retired on Thursday, January 30th.

Two state agencies with authority over Illinois juvenile detention center operations have given the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) exemplary reviews in separate reports issued in recent weeks.

The Criminal Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County is expected to resume on schedule Friday morning, Jan. 24., following an investigation into a threat made to the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

Due to the extremely cold weather predicted for Tuesday, January 21 that may adversely impact the health and safety of court personnel and litigants, the Circuit Court of Cook County is encouraging participants to attend court remotely, if possible, said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.