News Archive

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today appointed Honorable Raul Vega to serve as the Acting Presiding Judge of the court’s Domestic Violence Division. The appointment is effective September 4, 2018.

Judge Vega was elected a circuit judge in 2002. He initially served in the First Municipal District and has served in the Domestic Relations Division since June 2003. He has heard just about every type of domestic relations matter, such as divorces, child-custody disputes and requests for orders of protection.

Please see the statement below from Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans on the settlement agreement in Evans v. County of Cook:

“I am pleased that the court and the county could come together to settle this matter. Overall, the court will receive an additional $11.1 million – a combination of new funding and budget credits.

Pursuant to action taken Wednesday by the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Associate Judge Joseph Michael Claps has been reassigned to administrative duties. The assignment is effective until further notice. 

The Executive Committee’s decision to reassign Judge Claps followed a meeting of the Circuit Court of Cook County Executive Committee convened by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. 

Please see the below statement issued by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans:

“I join the legal community in mourning the passing of our friend and my former law professor, George N. Leighton. He served the public in many ways as a Circuit Judge, an Illinois Appellate Justice and a U.S. District Court Judge.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today published the outcomes of bond court throughout the Circuit Court of Cook County since his general order on bail took effect last year. This is the first comprehensive release of performance measures related to bail reform.

The Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County today announced its selection of the 34 candidates who will seek appointment to 17 Associate Judge vacancies by a vote of the Circuit Judges.

Statement by Chief Judge Timothy Evans:

"Due to the winter storm warning that predicts 10-14 inches of snowfall in the Chicagoland area between Thursday February 8, 2018, 6 p.m. and Friday, February 9, 2018, 9 p.m., and to ensure that no one is placed in a position of danger in getting to court, the Circuit Court of Cook County will be closed Friday, February 9, 2018.  

The Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County decided today to reconvene the Associate Judge selection process in April.

The Nominating Committee took this action to avoid overlap with the March primary in which several applicants for Associate Judge are also running for Circuit Judge, and to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts’ mandatory Education Conferences that judges will attend in February and April.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today appointed Dr. Thomas Lyons to serve as the Interim Chief Probation Officer of the Adult Probation Department of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Dr. Lyons, 51, succeeds Lavone Haywood, who retired on December 29 after a four-decade career with the department. Under the interim appointment, Dr. Lyons will temporarily vacate his current role as the Director of the Research and Evaluation Unit in the Office of the Chief Judge.

The Circuit Court of Cook County is partnering with Safer Foundation to help probation clients secure long-term employment, reducing the likelihood that they will re-offend and return as defendants to the criminal justice system.

Announced today by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and President Victor Dickson of Safer Foundation, the initiative is funded through a $4.5 million grant that Safer Foundation received from the U.S. Department of Labor to work with 563 adults in Illinois and Iowa.