News Room

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced the appointment of Circuit Judge Edmund Ponce de Leon as Presiding Judge of the west suburban Fourth Municipal District effective immediately. Judge Ponce de Leon succeeds Judge Themis N. Karnezis who was assigned to the Appellate Court. Judge Ponce de Leon is the first Hispanic American appointed a presiding judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today released the names of 237 attorneys who have submitted applications to fill seven vacant associate judge positions in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

The Circuit Court of Cook County today presented the Drive Wise, Stay Alive Mature Driver Program to a group of seniors at North Stickney Township offices. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced that the court has initiated a public awareness campaign involving more than 50 local churches to highlight the use of child safety seats. The campaign was launched Tuesday, February 12, 2002, at a free child safety seat check coordinated by the Illinois Department of Transportation at the Apostolic Church of God, located at 6320 S. Dorchester in Chicago's Woodlawn community. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced the Annual Circuit Court of Cook County Black History Month Courthouse Tours will be held on February 13, 14, and 15, 2002, at the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street in Chicago. Joining the Circuit Court of Cook County in cosponsoring the tours are the Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., the Cook County Bar Association, and the Illinois Judicial Council. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced two new presiding judge appointments and a host of reassignments. Judge William D. Maddux, appointed Acting Presiding Judge of the Law Division shortly after the Chief Judge Evans's election in September 2001, has been appointed Presiding Judge of that division. Judge Dorothy Kirie Kinnaird, a judge in the Chancery Division, has been appointed Presiding Judge of the Chancery Division, succeeding former Judge Albert Green who served as Presiding Judge of the Chancery Division until his retirement on October 31, 2001.

The following statement was issued by Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans: 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and County Division Presiding Judge Michael J. Murphy announced that today's adoption proceedings in the Daley Center will be held in support of the second annual National Adoption Saturday, November 17, 2001, a nation wide event in which 16 jurisdictions throughout the U.S. will expedite adoptions of hundreds of foster children with Saturday court sessions to help clear case backlogs. Last year's event finalized nearly 1,100 adoptions in the United States with more than 1,500 adoptions expected to be finalized this year. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Child Protection Division Presiding Judge Patricia Martin Bishop have announced the Child Protection Division and the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education will hold a presentation on education issues concerning abused and neglected court wards for officials of suburban public schools. The half-day presentation entitled Developing a Partnership for Children will be held Thursday, November 15, 2001, at Proviso West High School in Hillside, Illinois. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced the Circuit Court of Cook County Community Safety Initiative will host two community safety forums that will focus on traffic safety issues. The community safety forums will be held at Wright College, 4300 North Narragansett Avenue, Chicago, on Tuesday, November 13, 2001, and at the Apostolic Church of God, 6320 South Dorchester, Chicago, on Thursday, November 15, 2001. The forums will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Third Municipal District Presiding Judge Joseph J. Urso have announced court activities will resume tomorrow, November 1, 2001, in the Circuit Court of Cook County's Third Municipal District courthouse in Rolling Meadows. Court activities at that location had been canceled today due to the discovery of a powdery white substance within two washrooms in the court facility. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has announced Judge Albert Green, Presiding Judge of the Chancery Division, will retire effective Wednesday, October 31, 2001. Judge Green cited his desire to spend more time with his family while providing himself the best opportunity to fully recover from a number of recent surgeries as reasons for his decision to retire. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Sixth Municipal District Presiding Judge Ronald C. Riley have announced that the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council (IFVCC) of the Sixth Municipal District will host Prevention . . . A Coordinated Community Response Conference on Tuesday, October 16, 2001, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 18501 South Harlem Avenue, Tinley Park, Illinois.

Chief Judge Evans announces conference on family violence Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Fifth Municipal District Presiding Judge Anthony S. Montelione have announced that the Family Violence Prevention Coordinating Council of the Fifth Municipal District will host an Intervention and Prevention Conference on Monday, October 29, 2001, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Chicago Gaelic Park Banquet Hall, 6119 West 147th Street, Oak Forest, Illinois.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, recently elected Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of County, today announced several significant appointments effecting the Law Division of the Circuit Court. Chief Judge Evans expressed his desire to act quickly to ensure continued commitment to excellence and dedicated service in the Law Division. Chief Judge Evans has also decided to expand the number of judges assigned to the Commercial Calendar Section due to the heavy workload of the judges in that section.

The Circuit Court of Cook County today presented the Drive Wise, Stay Alive Safety Tips for Mature Drivers program to a group of seniors at Triton College in River Grove.

Cook County Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell has announced the court will open an evening reporting center exclusively dedicated to female minor offenders in juvenile court. The new evening reporting center will be located on Chicago's Near West Side. The female evening reporting center is the first such center in the state of Illinois and will open on October 1, 2001. Funding for the new evening reporting center is provided by an unprecedented $250,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services in conjunction with the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.

The Honorable Donald P. O'Connell, Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, today released this statement: 

Cook County Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell today announced the court will begin distributing a questionnaire (attached) to persons who complete jury service in the Fifth Municipal District Courthouse in Bridgeview on July 16, 2001, as a pilot survey to determine how the court can improve service it provides to jurors. The project is being launched in cooperation with Fifth Municipal District Presiding Judge Anthony S. Montelione.

Cook County Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell announced today that the Circuit Court of Cook County will host the Puerto Rican Heritage Day Courthouse Tour on Tuesday, June 26, 2001. The tour will take place in the Richard J. Daley Center at 50 West Washington Street and will depart the west lobby at 10:00 a.m. The tour program is part of an outreach initiative launched by Chief Judge O'Connell to increase access to the court for all communities by offering insight into the legal system.

The Circuit Court of Cook County today presented the Drive Wise, Stay Alive Mature Driver Program to a group of seniors at the Skokie Senior Center Village Hall.

The Circuit Court of Cook County presented a DUI crash reenactment and assembly on May 15, 2001, to eight hundred students from Alan B. Shepard High School as part of the school's two week Prom Promise anti-alcohol and drug campaign designed to help juniors and seniors make good decisions when faced with the pressure to use alcohol or drugs. 

Cook County Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell and Chicago Traffic Center Supervising Judge Patrick E. McGann today announced general information concerning traffic violations cases can now be accessed online under the new Traffic Court section of the Circuit Court's web site www.cookcountycourt.org.

Cook County Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell and the Chicago Coalition for Law-Related Education are pleased to announce the individual student and team winners of the Circuit Court of Cook County's Citywide Mock Trial 2001 Competition for Chicago public high school students held May 1, 2001, in the Richard J. Daley Center. 

Cook County Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell announced today that the Circuit Court of Cook County will host the Third Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Courthouse Tours on May 23 and May 24, 2001. Chief Judge O'Connell also announced the Circuit Court's popular informational guide has been translated into Chinese and Korean and will be released in conjunction with the tours to commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. 

To educate young drivers on the dangers of alcohol, speed and poor judgement, the Circuit Court of Cook County will conduct its annual Smart Choices traffic safety program for approximately 800 Chicago public high school students from April 30, 2001, through May 4, 2001, at Comiskey Park in Chicago. 

The nine-member Associate Judge Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County today announced the names of the 22 candidates whose names will be on the ballot from which the circuit judges will select the new 11 associate judges. The Committee is comprised of the following individuals:

The Circuit Court of Cook County introduced the Drive Wise, Stay Alive Mature Driver Program, a new component of the court's Drive Wise, Stay Alive traffic safety awareness campaign to combat dangerous driving practices. 

The Circuit Court of Cook County today presented the Drive Wise, Stay Alive Mature Driver Program to a group of seniors at the Howard Moore Community Center in Forest Park.

Cook County Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell and Chicago Traffic Center Supervising Judge Patrick E. McGann today announced the Circuit Court of Cook County will implement the Have a Heart program in which traffic violators found guilty of not properly restraining their infants or toddlers will be given the option to purchase a new child safety car seat at a reduced cost.