While the Cook County Circuit Court will be primarily closed from March 17, 2020 to April 15, 2020, you may still need to appear on certain criminal matters. Please be aware that the guidelines below may change. The best advice is to check with your attorney before your scheduled court date.
All adult criminal trials scheduled for the next 30 days are postponed and will be rescheduled. The court, however, will still conduct bail hearings, preliminary hearings and arraignments. Since these are the first three proceedings in a felony matter, you will likely need to appear if your felony is new.
The court will also enter plea agreements that conclude a case. A pretrial defendant may also request a bail review.
While high-risk adults on probation must still report to their probation officers, low and medium-risk adults need not meet in person, and a probation officer will contact them about a phone or video conference meeting.
Juvenile defendants in delinquency and criminal proceedings may still demand trial and the court shall still hold detention hearings to determine if a juvenile shall be held in custody while a case is open.
Most matters involving child abuse and neglect will move forward as well as orders of protection on domestic violence matters.
If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.
Source: Cook County Circuit Court Information Regarding Coronavirus
(Besides Skokie, Matt Keenan also serves the communities of Arlington Heights, Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Wilmette and Winnetka.)