News Room

Cook County Circuit Court to provide over-the-phone interpretations; website now available in 71 foreign languages;
bi-lingual signage added

Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County Timothy C. Evans announced that, for the first time ever, prosecutors throughout Cook County will receive data from nationwide court records for traffic offenders enabling them to provide judges with better information at the time of sentencing for minor traffic cases, thanks to a collaboration between the Circuit Court of Cook County, the Illinois Secretary of State and the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. 

A unique pro bono program dedicated to helping pro se litigants in First Municipal District civil jury cases will mark two years of success at a reception honoring volunteers on May 30, 2013.

  First courthouse in system-wide rolling implementation

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced that starting Monday, April 15, 2013, the court will begin the enforcement of the full ban on all electronic communications and Internet devices at the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building at 26^th and California. 

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the court will observe Women’s History Month on Friday, March 22, 2013, with tours of the Richard J. Daley Center courthouse, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago.

The Women’s History Month Courthouse Tours will offer the public a sense of day-to-day operations in the Daley Center, which is the main courthouse of the Circuit Court of Cook County, one of the nation’s largest unified court systems.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said he has been advised by Honorable Michael P. Toomin that Dan K. Webb and his firm, Winston & Strawn LLP, (Winston & Strawn) will no longer bill Cook County for attorney fees after December 31, 2012, In the Matter of the Death of David Koschman. 

Safety stressed for those in court; grace period for enforcement

Statement from Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans
Circuit Court of Cook County

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today agreed to a request by Judge Michael P. Toomin and submitted a letter to the Illinois Supreme Court requesting that a judge from outside of Cook County be assigned to preside over People v. Vanecko, 12 CR 22450. 

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced beginning January 14, 2013, the public will not be permitted to bring cell phones and other electronic devices into any Circuit Court of Cook County courthouse facility except for the Richard J. Daley Center Courthouse.  The ban will affect only those courthouse facilities in which criminal matters are heard.*

Included in the ban are all electronic devices capable of connecting to the Internet or making audio or video recordings, including laptops and tablet computers.

Even before they step into the courthouse, parents contemplating divorce can now take a parenting class online to help their children deal with the effects of divorce. 

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Domestic Relations Division Presiding Judge Grace G. Dickler announced the court is now offering parenting education classes online through a new interactive program, Children in Between Online (CIBO) at http://online.divorce-education.com.