News Room

In advance of the Illinois bicentennial celebration on December 3, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans will unveil a portrait of Abraham Lincoln that will be displayed in the Jury Assembly Room of the Richard J. Daley Center.    

The Circuit Court and Cook County have finalized the scheduled closing of two Chicago branch court locations – 155 W. 51^st St. and 2452 W. Belmont Ave.  – to take effect after court concludes on January 4, 2019.

The two branch court closings, which were finalized as part of the budget litigation settlement between the county and the court, will help the county avoid $9.2 million in repairs, renovations and maintenance that would be necessary to keep the two buildings safe, operational and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Pursuant to action taken Monday by the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Circuit Judge William H. Hooks has been referred to anger-management counseling while he performs administrative duties until further notice. 

The committee is aware that Judge Hooks is accused of acting in such a manner that created a hostile work environment for another judge. The alleged conduct did not occur inside a courtroom. Judge Hooks expressed contrition to the Executive Committee regarding the matter. The committee referred the matter to the Judicial Inquiry Board. 

Pursuant to action taken Wednesday by the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Circuit Judge Mauricio Araujo and Associate Judge Richard D. Schwind have been reassigned to administrative duties. The assignments are effective until further notice. 

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

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans’ creation of a Pretrial Division and his entering of General Order 18.8A on bail and pretrial release in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

The Circuit Court has processed and validated nine months of administrative data to present the following facts:

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.