Chicago Tribune (Sunday)

As precaution, Cook courts to shut for month

- By Megan Crepeau

The vast majority of Cook County court operations, both criminal and civil, will be postponed for nearly a month beginning Tuesday as a precaution against coronaviru­s, the chief judge’s office confirmed Friday.

Courthouse­s across the county will remain open “though there will be fewer cases,” according to a statement from the office. Regular operations are expected to resume April 15 at the earliest, according to a statement from Chief Judge Timothy Evans’ office.

Attorneys and other court personnel now face the prospect of shuffling around thousands and thousands of criminal cases, from murders to drug possession.

The county court system is not known for its efficiency even in the best of circumstan­ces, and such a delay has the potential to create chaos. Even brief closures last year due to extreme cold weather threw schedules off balance for weeks.

The courts, by design, keep people from all over Cook County in close quarters — in jury rooms, holding cells and courtroom galleries. And such close contact would be expected to accelerate the spread of the disease, officials said.

No civil or criminal jury trials will begin within the 30-day window, though grand jury proceeding­s will continue, according to Evans’ office. Grand juries may move from their designated rooms to larger courtrooms, to allow for more distance between jurors.

Judges will not sign orders for eviction or foreclosur­e during the 30-day period, and March 16 is the last day that judges will perform marriage ceremonies.

In adult criminal cases, bond hearings and arraignmen­ts will continue. Defendants may also enter into plea agreements. Juveniles charged with crimes will only undergo detention hearings and cases in which they have formally demanded trial.

Certain petitions for orders of protection will still be heard during the 30-day period. Civil lawsuits can still be filed electronic­ally or in person. Judges will still hear child abuse and neglect cases in which the state is seeking protective custody of a child, as well as emergency allegation­s of child abuse in foster care.

“Low-risk and mediumrisk” people on probation no longer have to meet their probation officer in person. Instead, officers will arrange for phone calls or videoconfe­rencing.

Courthouse day care rooms will be closed, and people are discourage­d from bringing children to court. Signs will be posted at courthouse­s stating that people should not enter if they have been to certain countries, have been ordered to isolate, have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, or if they are showing flulike symptoms.

Still unclear is how speedy-trial demands in adult criminal cases will be handled. By statute, once a defendant invokes those speedy-trial rights, prosecutor­s have a limited amount of time to bring him or her to trial.

Civil jury trials in Chicago’s federal courthouse were canceled as of this week, but federal criminal proceeding­s will continue.

The state Supreme Court warned Friday that “nonessenti­al in-person court proceeding­s may pose a risk” to those who need to be present for its operations. The risk of spread can be mitigated by delaying jury trials and large court calls, they advised. In addition, courts could consider holding proceeding­s via videoconfe­rence, they noted.

The high court plans to livestream oral arguments next week as an alternativ­e to in-person attendance.

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