2004 News Archive

Chief Cook County Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Circuit Court of Cook County has launched an educational pilot program to help teenagers understand the long term ramifications facing them if they commit a crime at the age of 17.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced he has appointed Robert F. Harris as the Cook County Public Guardian effective December 1, 2004. Currently serving as the Chief Deputy Public Guardian, Mr. Harris, a 13-year veteran of the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian, has held every legal and administrative position in the office. He will replace Patrick T. Murphy who was recently elected a circuit judge.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Fourth Municipal District Presiding Judge Edmund Ponce de Leon today announced that a Drug Treatment Court graduation ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 3, 2004, at 1:30 p.m. at the District Four court facility, 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Illinois, in courtroom 103. Judge Ponce de Leon, along with Drug Treatment Court Judge Judy Mitchell-Davis, will award certificates of completion and recovery medallions to eight (8) graduates. A brief reception with family and friends will follow.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Sixth Municipal District Presiding Judge Ronald C. Riley today announced that a Drug Treatment Court graduation ceremony will be held on Wednesday, October 27, 2004, at 2:00 p.m. at the District Six court facility, 16501 Kedzie Parkway, Markham, Illinois, in the Jury Assembly Room, second level. Judge Riley, along with Drug Treatment Court Judges Honorable Thomas P. Panichi and Honorable Thomas O’Hara, will award certificates of completion and recovery medallions to eight (8) graduates.

Effective Wednesday, October 20, 2004, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has reassigned Judge Stanley J. Sacks from the Criminal Division to duties other than judicial duties in the Office of the Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division until further notice. Chief Judge Evans ordered the reassignment of Judge Sacks in response to Judge Sacks’s angry outburst and use of profanity in a trial earlier this month.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Fourth Municipal District Presiding Judge Edmund Ponce de Leon announced the court will convene a day-long symposium on family violence on Tuesday, October 12, 2004, at the Hillside Holiday Inn and Conference Center, 4400 Frontage Road, Hillside, Illinois. Titled "The Many Faces of Domestic Violence," the symposium will feature national and local experts who will speak about domestic violence and its related issues, teen dating violence, child abuse and elder abuse.

More than 250 south suburban high school students gathered at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights for a multi-faceted presentation on the tragic consequences they could face as a result of aggressive driving habits or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The presentation was sponsored by the Circuit Court of Cook County, the South Suburban Bar Association, and Prairie State College.

Results of an investigation conducted by Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans have determined that the court’s Adult Probation Department acted properly in withdrawing probation officers from fieldwork duty at various times within the last month due to safety concerns. However department officials failed in their responsibilities to immediately notify Chief Judge Evans of their decision, and to take immediate action to return the full complement of officers to the street as soon as possible.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Puerto Rican Heritage Day Courthouse Tour will take place on Thursday, June 10, 2004, in the Richard J. Daley Center at 50 West Washington Street in Chicago. Co-sponsoring the tour is the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced that he has expanded participation in the In-Court Lawyer Referral Program in two of the court’s suburban districts to increase the number and diversity of attorneys available to offer defendants immediate representation in court.