Cook County to open additional court facility for possible 'multiple arrests' during DNC

CHICAGO - The Circuit Court of Cook County will open an additional temporary court facility in preparation for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) scheduled to take place in Chicago in mid-August.

The DNC will be held at the United Center from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22. Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said this week that the court has made extensive preparations to manage an anticipated increase in court proceedings in case multiple arrests occur during the convention.

Evans stated that, along with staffing and equipping a temporary additional court facility, dozens of judges have cleared their civil and criminal court calendars of non-essential proceedings. This measure ensures that they can assist with the potential increase in criminal cases during the convention.

"We have been meeting for weeks with more than 50 people from county, city, state, and federal agencies to prepare for the possibility of multiple arrests. We want to make sure the police are able to focus on providing security and that the rights of arrested individuals are scrupulously respected," Chief Judge Evans said. "We thank our fellow government officials and our court staff for their continued cooperation in this important endeavor."

The court expects that most cases will continue to be handled by judges currently serving in the Pretrial and Criminal Divisions. However, if the Chicago Police Department (CPD) notifies the court of multiple arrests, the court is prepared to use a portion of its former facility on West Belmont Avenue to conduct hearings for individuals who need to appear before a judge. The temporary court facility will be open from 8 a.m. until midnight.

In addition to the judges assigned to the Criminal and Pretrial Divisions, 57 other judges have been trained on the requirements of the Pretrial Fairness Act. These judges will be available to hear cases at the West Belmont Avenue facility or the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, if necessary.

If needed, judges at the West Belmont Avenue facility will hear cases resulting from multiple arrests between Aug. 11 and Aug. 31.

If the number of arrestees exceeds the capacity of the West Belmont Avenue facilities, the court has indicated that the overflow will be processed by the CPD at alternate CPD locations. These cases will then be heard at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

The court has also mandated that from Aug. 12 to Aug. 30, officers from the Illinois State Police (ISP), Cook County Sheriff's Office, CPD and other municipal police departments who have been subpoenaed or notified to testify at court proceedings will be excused from doing so until their next regularly scheduled key date or a date determined by the presiding judge.

Exceptions to this order include cases awaiting dismissal under speedy trial requirements, cases related to incidents occurring during the DNC and cases where the officer’s department is not involved in providing DNC security.

Additionally, individuals who receive jury trial summonses for the period between Aug. 12 and Aug. 30 will be placed on standby status. Grand and special grand jury schedules will be determined at the discretion of the presiding judge of the Criminal Division.

Jury trials for criminal cases at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse that are scheduled to start between Aug. 12 and Aug. 30 will be moved to the Third Municipal District Courthouse in Rolling Meadows if they cannot be rescheduled for a later date.

Most employees at courthouse locations near the convention, including 69 W. Washington St. administration building, the Daley Center, the Domestic Violence Courthouse at 555 W. Harrison St. and the Juvenile Center at 2245 W. Ogden Ave. will be operating remotely between Aug. 19 and Aug. 23. The Children's Rooms in those locations will be closed, and Remote Access Assistance will be available on a limited basis in those locations. 

Chief Judge Evans has entered two General Administrative Orders, 2024-11 and 2024-12, to address court-related issues regarding security for the Democratic National Convention.