The Circuit Court of Cook County, following up on the recent successes of the Restorative Justice Community Courts in North Lawndale, Avondale and Englewood, is poised to open its newest location in south suburban Sauk Village.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans will host a grand opening celebration of the new court at 11 a.m. Monday, July 15 at the Sauk Village Community Center, 2700 Kalvelage Dr. in Sauk Village. The celebration is open to the community and media.
Block Club Chicago covered the most recent Englewood Restorative Justice Community Court graduation ceremony, where 64 program graduates were recognized.
It's graduation day in Englewood for a group of people getting a second chance because they were convicted of felonies, but their records are about to be cleared. Englewood's Restorative Justice Community Court graduates 64 participants.
Graduation day for Restorative Justice Community Court Program - CBS Chicago (cbsnews.com)
Following a tough couple of years which included the loss of his infant son and getting in trouble with the law, 24-year-old Byron Upton sees his graduation from the Englewood Restorative Justice Community Court as a “reset” for his life.
“I had to go through a lot of distancing from the negativity in my life,” said Upton, who will be one of 64 graduates honored at a Wednesday ceremony for the South Side program. “Before the court began, I was going through something. I took the reset God gave me.”
Below is a statement from Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans regarding the death of Commissioner Deer:
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. The courts, which hear felony cases at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, help people with low-level criminal offenses overcome drug problems and avoid future problems with the law.
Thousands of people who come into the Circuit Court without a lawyer every month now have a new central place within the Daley Center to get guidance on navigating the system. The Circuit Court of Cook County’s Resource Center for People Without Lawyers has a new home on the concourse level of the
Cook County acting presiding judges were elevated on Wednesday to the position of presiding judge in their respective divisions, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced.
The presiding judges, promoted by Judge Evans, are the Hon. Donna L. Cooper of the Juvenile Division, the Hon. Sophia H. Hall of the Chancery Division, the Hon. Mary C. Marubio of the Pretrial Division, the Hon. Judith C. Rice of the Domestic Violence Division and the Hon. Regina Scannicchio of the Domestic Relations Division.
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May is National Treatment Court Month, recognizing courts around the country which address the root causes of criminal behavior committed by those suffering from mental illness and drug abuse, as well as military veterans who may be having difficulties associated with readjusting to civilian life.
The Circuit Court of Cook County’s recently redesigned website now features weekly statistics on court attendance and the rates at which defendants avoid new charges while on pretrial release.
The Circuit Court of Cook County has launched a renovated, easier-to-navigate website at cookcountycourt.org.
The redesigned website replaces a previous version that was more than 12 years old and regularly viewed by more than 1 million users annually.
Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and the court’s Nominating Committee today announced the names of the six candidates who will be on the ballot for circuit judges to vote to fill three associate judge vacancies.
“I am pleased to submit the names of these candidates for consideration to join the bench of the Circuit Court of Cook County,” Chief Judge Evans said. “I am grateful for the hard work of the Nominating Committee in putting together this list of capable and talented candidates. The candidates received positive ratings from all bar associations.
The Circuit Court of Cook County is the recipient of a $450,000 federal grant to assist in creating alternatives to youth detention. The grant, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), will help with the construction and operation of assessment centers and “Community Centers of Care.”
On Jan. 9, 2024, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC), the agency with oversight over state courts and detention centers, announced that the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) has met or exceeded all state requirements for juvenile safety and well-being.
Due to the extremely cold weather predicted for Tuesday, January 16 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.
Due to a weather-related power outage which has closed the Fifth Municipal District courthouse in Bridgeview on Friday, all Fifth District misdemeanor, civil, traffic, and felony cases will receive other dates, said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Fifth Municipal District Presiding Judge Kerry M. Kennedy.
For misdemeanor and traffic cases, the Circuit Court Clerk will notify defendants of their next court dates, said Judge Kennedy.
All civil cases will be continued until Tuesday, Jan. 16, unless already continued.
Due to predictions of significant snowfall on Friday, particularly in northwest suburban Cook County, all defendants and witnesses who have hearings in the Third Municipal District can use video conference (Zoom) to attend proceedings, rather than coming to the Rolling Meadows courthouse in person, said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Third Municipal District Presiding Judge Jill Cerone-Marisie.
The Skokie Mental Health Court, which was featured in an award-winning documentary film, will graduate four participants on Thursday, December 14, at a special ceremony, according to Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.
This will be the final graduation ceremony for the Mental Health Court’s presiding judge, the Hon. Lauren Edidin, who has presided over the court for 12 years and is retiring. The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. in Room 201 at the Second Municipal District Courthouse, 5600 Old Orchard Road, in Skokie.
Nine participants in the (W)RAP drug court program will graduate on Thursday, November 30, at a special ceremony at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, according to Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.
The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. in Courtroom 402, 2600 S. California Ave., in Chicago. The media is welcome to attend, and can also watch by Zoom (Meeting ID: 851 0615 4375, Passcode: 402402). All graduates will appear in person.
Eleven children, including two sets of siblings and two teenagers, will be joined to loving families on Friday at a National Adoption Day ceremony at the Daley Center courthouse, said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.
Participants in the Restorative Justice Community Court program are now getting help in finding housing through Heartland Human Care Services, according to Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.
Also, building on the success of these diversion courts, Chief Judge Evans has announced plans for a new Restorative Justice Community Court in southwest suburban Sauk Village, the first-ever in suburban Cook County.
The Avondale and North Lawndale Restorative Justice Community Courts will graduate 64 participants this month, according to Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.
The Avondale and North Lawndale courts will graduate 16 and 48 participants, respectively. The Avondale ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, at Resurrection Hall of St. Hyacinth Basilica, 3636 West Wolfram St. in Chicago. The North Lawndale ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9, at UCAN, 3605 W. Fillmore St. The public is welcome to attend.
The Hon. Geary W. Kull has been named Acting Presiding Judge of the Fourth Municipal District of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said.
Judge Kull has been a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County since 2009, and has served in the Fourth Municipal District, located in Maywood, since 2011. He was first appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court, and won election to the 9th Subcircuit in 2010.
Cook County’s Marriage Court will no longer limit the number of guests for in-person ceremonies, according to an order issued this week.
A previous limitation for in-person ceremonies, enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, had been two guests plus the marrying couple. Starting next Tuesday, couples entering marriages or civil unions will have no limit on the number of individuals attending the ceremony, according to an order issued Wednesday by the Hon. Diann K. Marsalek, Presiding Judge of Marriage Court and of the Traffic Division. Also, masks are no longer required.
A new $2 million federal grant will boost two existing north suburban court programs that help adults diagnosed with substance use disorders.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the five-year grant to support program operations in north suburban drug treatment courts in the Second (Skokie) and Third (Rolling Meadows) Municipal Districts.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Traffic Division Presiding Judge Diann K. Marsalek on Tuesday presented 200 backpacks filled with school supplies to Juvenile Temporary Detention Center residents.
The backpacks, which contain notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, erasers, protractors and other items, had been filled with donations from more than 400 Cook County judges.
The Hon. Maureen Ward Kirby has been named Acting Presiding Judge of the County Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said.
