News Room

Starting today, the Hon. David Navarro is the new acting presiding judge of the Pretrial Division, according to Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. 

Judge Navarro, who had previously served as supervising judge of the division, was first appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in May 2017 and was elected in November 2018. 

“Judge Navarro has shown tremendous dedication and skill in his years in the Pretrial Division, including as a supervising judge, and I am confident that he will succeed in this new leadership role,” said Judge Evans. 

The Skokie Veterans Treatment Court, a problem-solving court in the Circuit Court of Cook County, will have its first in-person graduation ceremony since the start of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. The ceremony will be held at 2:15 p.m. on October 22 in room 201 of the courthouse, which is located at 5600 Old Orchard Road. The media is welcome to attend the ceremony, which takes place less than three weeks before Veterans Day. 

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he has entered an order reestablishing 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 Committee, which is in formation, will review practices and procedures governing the hearing of domestic violence matters throughout the court, and review the organization and efficiency of Domestic Violence Division operations at all courthouses where domestic violence matters are heard.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans will administer the oath of office to 22 new Circuit Court of Cook County associate judges during a virtual ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 4. The ceremony can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/user/CookCntyCourt.

The county’s 249 circuit judges selected the associate judges from a list of 44 finalists, who were chosen from 225 candidates.

Four Circuit Court of Cook County judges have volunteered to conduct up to 50 weddings for a closed-street celebration on Michigan Avenue at the Wrigley Building on Sunday, September 26. 

The event, called “Marriages on the Mile – Weddings at Wrigley,” is part of The Magnificent Mile Association’s larger “Meet Me on the Mile” program for Sunday, which will include other activities throughout the day. Scheduled wedding ceremonies will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. outdoors beneath the Wrigley Building Bridge at 410 N. Michigan Avenue. 

Note: This is an update to a previous press release

Highly offensive documents, falsely claiming to be orders from various current or retired Circuit Court of Cook County judges, are being circulated by some person or group, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said on Wednesday. The documents are forgeries, and the Office of the Chief Judge finds the content appalling. The documents appear to be intended as a means of intimidating the recipients and others.

The documents use the names of several sitting and retired judges out of the Skokie Courthouse.

Highly offensive documents, falsely claiming to be orders from various current or retired Circuit Court of Cook County judges, are being circulated by some person or group, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said on Wednesday. The documents are forgeries, and the Office of the Chief Judge finds the content appalling. The documents appear to be intended as a means of intimidating the recipients and others. 

The Office of the Chief Judge is fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities to discover who is circulating these fraudulent and disturbing documents.

In order to better serve victims of domestic violence, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has issued an order allowing all proceedings to go forward by videoconference or teleconference, except for contested hearings. 

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 44 candidates selected to appear on the ballot from which circuit judges will vote to fill 22 associate judge vacancies.

Responding to the need to protect the health and safety of victims of domestic violence, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans on Monday announced efforts by the Circuit Court of Cook County to enable 24-hour, 7-day-a-week access for “emergency petitions.” 

The Circuit Court of Cook County is making dozens of courtrooms available for jury and bench trials, which will speed up resolution of cases that have been delayed due to pandemic-related restrictions, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced today. The expanded reopening of the criminal courts has been made possible by new health guidance regarding the pandemic. 

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today praised the signing of SB 64, a bill designed to promote restorative justice practices, which offer an alternative to incarceration and can help break the cycle of criminal behavior. 

“I thank the governor and our lawmakers in Springfield for this legislation, which promotes something that we know can help break the cycle of criminal behavior and help people become productive members of their communities,” said Judge Evans, who was present for the signing. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced the appointment of the Honorable Kerry M. Kennedy as the new acting presiding judge of the Fifth Municipal District in Bridgeview. 

“Judge Kennedy has shown great dedication and knowledge in his years as a judge in the Fifth Municipal District, and I am confident that he will succeed in his new leadership role,” said Judge Evans.

In recent weeks, in response to tragic incidents of violence in Cook County, some public officials have criticized the courts, and, in particular, judicial decisions to impose electronic monitoring on some defendants rather than incarcerate them in Cook County Jail while they await trial.

The Circuit Court of Cook County will be closed on Friday to celebrate “Juneteenth,” which celebrates the emancipation of Black Americans from slavery.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans declared Juneteenth a court holiday on Jan. 15, 2021. It also has been declared a city and county-wide holiday, and on Wednesday, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker made Juneteenth a state holiday.

In order to respond to the rights of defendants covered by the U.S. and Illinois Constitutions and the Illinois Speedy Trial Act, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced Monday that he had formed a committee of criminal justice stakeholders and other related groups to determine how to safely and expeditiously accelerate the reopening of criminal courts to in-person proceedings, including increasing the capacity for bench and jury trials. 

The Cook County Circuit Court has expanded a mandatory arbitration program to include hundreds of personal injury cases, which is expected to cut both costs and delays, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced on Friday. 

“This will eliminate delays and aid in the prompt administration of justice in these cases, allowing them to be disposed of more efficiently while reducing costs for litigants,” said Judge Evans. “Disposing of cases through this program will also free up valuable court time for more complex matters.” 

The Hon. Robert Balanoff, Acting Presiding Judge of the Child Protection Division, announced on Thursday an effort to increase the number of lawyers handling appeals from cases heard in the Child Protection Division. 

Marriage and civil union ceremonies at Cook County’s downtown Marriage and Civil Union Court (Marriage Court) may be performed via Zoom videoconference, as well as in person, starting next week, according to a court order issued on Friday.

Recent suggestions that the criminal courts have not held trials, or have been otherwise inactive, during the past 13 months of the pandemic are based on misinformation.

The Cook County Circuit Court has held hundreds of bench trials during the pandemic.  Criminal jury trials resumed last month, after numerous precautions and preparations by the Office of the Chief Judge to ensure the safety of both jurors and court personnel.

In order to ensure best practices for the treatment of juveniles confined at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has established a blue ribbon committee of experts to examine current JTDC procedures and outcomes, especially as they relate to room confinement.

The Cook County Circuit Court did not let a global pandemic shut down the fair and efficient administration of justice in the Chicago area. Instead, Cook County judges, working with public and private sector attorneys, clerks and other court personnel, have employed technology, innovation, and a spirit of cooperation to meet the coronavirus challenge, resulting in 1,474,274 hours of Zoom court sessions with more than 1.8 million participants between March 17, 2020 and March 11, 2021 in all divisions.

The Cook County Circuit Court will resume jury trials, with multiple precautions taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, starting in late March, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said on Wednesday.

Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today praised Gov. J.B. Pritzker for signing into law a criminal justice reform measure that will eliminate cash bail, because it is consistent with the U.S. Constitution’s presumption of innocence before trial.

“It took courage for Gov. Pritzker to sign this legislation, and it was absolutely the right thing to do,” Judge Evans said. “Money should not determine who should be released on pretrial. The law is that there is a presumption of innocence when someone is charged.”

To limit the number of people traveling to and from court due to adverse weather conditions for our area, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced that the Circuit Court of Cook County will be open but for videoconference and teleconference proceedings only on Tuesday, February 16. Please do not come to court facilities in person.

All court proceedings will be conducted by videoconference or teleconference. No in-person hearings will be held, so litigants should not come to court facilities. Traffic court proceedings also will be entirely held by videoconference or teleconference.

To limit the number of people traveling to and from court due to adverse weather conditions for our area, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced today that the Circuit Court of Cook County will be open for videoconference and teleconference proceedings only on Tuesday, February 16. Please do not come to court facilities in person.

Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans expressed approval and support today for a newly-passed criminal justice bill that will eliminate cash bail, because it is consistent with the U.S. Constitution’s presumption of innocence before trial.  

“We have been supporting the end of money bail for a long time,” Judge Evans said. “Money was never a good gauge as to who should be released on pretrial. The law is that there is a presumption of innocence when someone is charged.” 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced the appointments of three new acting presiding judges to head the Criminal, County and Traffic Divisions. 

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today posted a notice for ten vacancies for the office of associate judge of the Cook County Circuit Court.

Most courthouses in Cook County are now equipped with “Zoom Rooms,” with computers that allow litigants to safely monitor court proceedings, Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans said on Friday.