The Hon. Patricia Spratt, who presides over the North Lawndale Restorative Justice Community Court, joined WTTW's Chicago Tonight to discuss the importance of the RJCC in the community. Full episode linked below.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has appointed the Hon. Andrea M. Buford to serve as Acting Presiding Judge of the Child Protection Division.

Judge Buford replaces Presiding Judge Robert Balanoff, who retired on Thursday, January 30th.

Two state agencies with authority over Illinois juvenile detention center operations have given the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) exemplary reviews in separate reports issued in recent weeks.

“The Office of the Chief Judge has completed a review of the circumstances surrounding Lacramioara Beldie’s tragic death on Nov. 19. Our office has gathered transcripts and court records from the civil and criminal proceedings against the accused, Constantin Beldie.

Cook County court documents should be more accessible this year, thanks to a $17,000 Disability Accessibility Improvement grant awarded by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice.

In January, Tyshun Rule was behind the wheel of his car, hands trembling, during a traffic stop in which officers found a loaded gun. Rule owned the gun legally but is alleged to have committed a concealed carry violation.

When the Avondale Restorative Justice Community Court graduated its record 26 participants earlier today, it did so with the help of dozens of community volunteers who are the heart and soul of these local initiatives.

Markham's drug, mental health and veterans' treatment courts hosted a joint graduation ceremony, Tuesday afternoon, to celebrate six graduates who have gotten their lives back on track and are contributing to their communities. Read about it in the Chicago Tribune:

This past Saturday, September 28, eight Cook County judges helped citizens get their driver’s licenses returned in a forum at Malcolm X College. More than 90 Cook County residents were able to successfully reinstate their licenses at the event, allowing them to again legally drive.

The Circuit Court of Cook County’s Domestic Violence Division has helped nearly 2,000 people during its after-hours pilot program for filing petitions for emergency orders of protection, now entering its third year.