News Room

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced that he has asked a consortium of minority bar organizations to join the court’s In Court Lawyer Referral Program, a decades-old court-based program that provides low-cost legal representation to qualifying defendants.

Beginning in July 2011, the consortium will alternate on a monthly basis with the Chicago Bar Association in supplying attorneys at Circuit Court of Cook County court locations where the CBA is currently participating in the In Court Referral Program.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced that two (2) branch courtrooms in the First Municipal District (Chicago) that are located in the Chicago Police Department’s Harrison District facility were temporarily closed today after the Chicago Fire Department evacuated the facility because of noxious fumes.

The Harrison District facility is located at 3151 West Harrison Street. Branch 43, which hears misdemeanors and ordinance violations, and Branch 44, which hears felony preliminary hearings, are located in the facility.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced that he will reassign four judges whose judicial conduct has been the subject of recent publicized reports and arrange for them to receive mentoring from experienced judges. He also announced he has appointed two new supervising judges to provide improved management and oversight of the Criminal Branch Courts of the First Municipal District (Chicago), where three of the four judges had been serving.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Annual Puerto Rican Heritage Day Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center at 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place on Wednesday, June 2, 2010. Co-sponsoring the tour is the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced the launch of the Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program, which will provide free housing counseling and legal services to Cook County homeowners and families in foreclosure. The program is aimed at helping homeowners resolve their mortgage cases in the most timely and respectful manner possible.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Women’s History Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center at 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place on Friday, March 26, 2010. Co-sponsoring the tour is the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Black History Month Courthouse Tours of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place from Monday, February 22, through Friday, February 26, 2010. Co-sponsoring the tours are the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., the Cook County Bar Association, and the Illinois Judicial Council.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today released a letter he sent to Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart denying the Sheriff’s proposal to shorten hours at suburban courthouses during the week and close weekend bond courts in four suburban locations.

Adopting one of the recommendations of the blue ribbon committee he appointed last year to study domestic violence court, Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he will create a new division dedicated exclusively to hearing domestic violence matters. The goal of the division is to help victims of domestic violence and to increase efforts to stop the illegal activities of abusers to ultimately end the cycle of violence in each case.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Arab-American Heritage Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2009. Co-sponsoring the tour is the Arab-American Bar Association of Illinois, Inc.

Timothy C. Evans, Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., has been named recipient of the 2009 William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence by the National Center for State Courts. One of the most prestigious judicial honors in the country, the Rehnquist Award is presented annually to a state court judge who exemplifies the highest level of judicial excellence, integrity, fairness, and professional ethics. Chief Judge Evans is the first judge from Illinois to receive the award, which was established in 1996.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Polish Heritage Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place on Wednesday, October 21, 2009. Co-sponsoring the tour is the Advocates Society The Association of Polish-American Attorneys.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Italian Heritage Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place on Wednesday, October 7, 2009. Co-sponsoring the tour are the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and the Justinian Society of Lawyers.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Annual Latino Hispanic Heritage Month Courthouse Tours of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, will take place on Monday, September 28 and Tuesday, September 29, 2009. Co-sponsoring the tour are the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and the Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County today announced the names of the 20 candidates chosen to appear on the ballot from which the circuit judges will select ten (10) new associate judges.

The Nominating Committee is made up of the following circuit judges:

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he has appointed Associate Judge William G. Pileggi as Supervising Judge of the Housing Section of the First Municipal District, effective July 16, 2009. Judge Pileggi succeeds Judge Sebastian T. Patti who has been appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, by the Illinois Supreme Court.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced a brief electrical power outage in the Sixth Municipal District Courthouse, located at 16501 Kedzie Parkway in south suburban Markham, forced the cancellation of all afternoon court calls. The courthouse was closed briefly early this afternoon and reopened shortly after 2 p.m. Chief Judge Evans said the loss of power was related to severe weather.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Annual Puerto Rican Heritage Day Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, will take place on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Co-sponsoring the tour is the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Annual Circuit of Cook County Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. Co-sponsoring the tour are the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area, the Chinese American Bar Association, the Filipino-American Bar Association, the Indian American Bar Association and the Korean American Bar Association.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he has appointed Circuit Judge Marjorie C. Laws, a Criminal Division supervising judge and a past chairperson of the Illinois Judicial Council, as Presiding Judge of the Sixth Municipal District. She succeeds Sixth Municipal District Presiding Judge Ronald C. Riley who retires January 31, 2009.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced sweeping reforms of Central Bond Court at 26th and California. Pursuant to an order he issued today, arrestees will now physically appear before a judge for bail hearings instead of appearing via closed circuit television. Also for the first time, judges will now receive pretrial assessments of felony arrestees to give them access to objective information as they make decisions about the terms and conditions of bail.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he has appointed Judge Lewis Nixon to serve as the Supervising Judge of the Mortgage Foreclosure/Mechanics Lien Section of the Chancery Division to succeed Associate Judge Clifford L. Meacham, who will retire November 14, 2008. Chief Judge Evans also announced that he has increased the number of judges assigned to that Section from 10 to 14 to allow for the creation of four additional mortgage foreclosure calendars.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Circuit Court of Cook County Italian Heritage Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place on Thursday, October 9, 2008. Co-sponsoring the tour are the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and the Justinian Society of Lawyers.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Annual Circuit Court of Cook County National Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month Courthouse Tours of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2008, and Friday, September 26, 2008. Co-sponsoring the tours are the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he has entered an order establishing the Circuit Court of Cook County Committee on Domestic Violence Court and that he has appointed a veteran Domestic Relations Division judge, Honorable Grace G. Dickler, to serve as the Committee’s Chair.

The ten-member Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County announced today the names of the 18 candidates who will appear on the ballot from which the circuit judges will select the 9 new associate judges. The Nominating Committee is made up of the following circuit judges:

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced that the Sixth Municipal District Courthouse, located at 16501 Kedzie Parkway in south suburban Markham, closed at 2:30 p.m. today due to loss of the building’s electrical power. Chief Judge Evans said the loss of power was related to Monday’s severe weather and that the Markham courthouse will reopen as soon as service can be restored.   

All civil cases that had been scheduled in courtroom 202 of the Markham courthouse for 1:30 p.m. today have been continued to August 27, 2008, at 1:30 p.m.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans issued the following statement concerning his decision today to defer appointment of a superintendent for the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) to allow, for the time being, the federal court-appointed transitional administrator, Earl Dunlap, to continue performing his duties at the facility:

On Friday, May 9, 2008, the Tinley Park Police Department arrested Judge Sheila McGinnis and charged her with the following offenses: driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and failure to provide proof of valid insurance.

Today, I have issued an order assigning Judge Sheila McGinnis to restricted duties in the Office of First Municipal District Presiding Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Jr., where she will perform administrative duties only, subject to further order of the court. The order is effective immediately.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he has appointed Circuit Judge David P. Sterba as Acting Presiding Judge of the court’s Fifth Municipal District located in southwest suburban Bridgeview, replacing Fifth Municipal District Presiding Judge Thomas F. Carmody, Jr. who died suddenly on Sunday. The appointment of Judge Sterba is effective immediately.