News Room

The Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County today announced its selection of the 26 candidates who will seek appointment to 13 associate judge vacancies by vote of the circuit judges.

“The Nominating Committee worked diligently to ensure that any one of these 26 individuals will be an asset to the bench if ultimately elected by the circuit judges,” Chief Judge Evans said, adding that the process also examined applicants’ bar ratings, career achievements, and whether they could be fair and impartial adjudicators.

The Circuit Court of Cook County is alerting the public that effective April 2, 2016, the Cook County Department of Facilities Management will no longer provide storage lockers for the public to store banned items at courthouses. This includes the Leighton Criminal Court Building, at 26^th Street and California Avenue, where smartphones have been banned for the past 3 years.

The Nominating Committee of the Cook County Circuit Court decided today to postpone the Associate Judge selection process until after the March 15 primary election.

The Nominating Committee took this action to avoid the potential appearance of impropriety because several applicants for Associate Judge are also running for Circuit Judge in the March primary.

While Circuit Judges are elected by the public, Associate Judges are appointed by the Circuit Judges.

Jonathan T. Swain will join the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, under an appointment approved today by a majority of Circuit Judges of Cook County. 

Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans submitted Swain as the nominee to the judges for the position after interviewing seven qualified applicants. 

Seven applicants have qualified as candidates for the soon-to-be open seat on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans announced today.

The qualified candidates are (in alphabetical order):

Statement by Chief Cook County Judge Timothy C. Evans in support of the Men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated Chicago Chapter’s “Alpha Men Meet and Take Back 79^th Street” Anti-Violence Rally on November 21, 2015

“I am pleased to support the members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated for sponsoring the Peace March and Anti-Violence Rally to be held in Chicago on November 21, 2015, at 1 p.m. on 79^th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.

Court to follow same transparent process for another vacancy

William J. Kresse will join the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, under an appointment approved today by a majority of Circuit Judges of Cook County.

Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans submitted Kresse as the nominee to the judges for the Republican position after interviewing eight qualified applicants.

A one-of-a-kind adoption proceeding will take place in a Cook County courtroom on Friday as a brother and sister become cousins when they are separately adopted by two adult sisters. 

The 5-year-old boy and 8-year-old girl are two of the seven children whose adoptions will be finalized at 10 a.m. on Friday in Courtroom 1707 of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St. 

Parents and children will be available for interviews after the adoptions are finalized. 

Eight Chicago residents have qualified as candidates for the open Republican seat on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans announced today.

Under a state statute, the composition of the three-member board is to include one member from the state’s two leading political parties. Currently, the board must have one Democrat, one Republican and one member from any political party. The current opening is the Republican seat. The qualified candidates are (in alphabetical order):

In honor of Arab-American Heritage Month, the Circuit Court of Cook County will host tours of the Richard J. Daley Center on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, beginning at 10 a.m. Co-sponsoring the tour is the Arab-American Bar Association of Illinois, Inc.