Cook County Court Re-opening
The Cook County Circuit Court system will resume limited in-person operations and services July 6, 2020, with most cases being conducted via videoconference to limit the number of individuals in court buildings.
Documents
Download the Resumption Plan, Frequently Asked Questions, and a Court Re-opening Overview:
Modifications
To safely resume court operations, several significant modifications to facilities and protocols, in accordance with national, state and local public health guidance, will be implemented. Modifications include:
- Entry Procedures: Upon arrival, everyone seeking entry will be directed to a line before entering the building. These lines will have distinct markers indicating where to stand to maintain at least six feet of physical distancing. To help with this process, facility managers have posted signs throughout each facility and County personnel will be on-hand to provide direction.
- Wellness Screenings: In addition to the standard security screening required upon entry to all court facilities, beginning on July 6 everyone entering a court facility will be subject to a two-part wellness screening. This wellness screening is informed by public health guidance and includes a health survey and a thermal scanning of the forehead to take a surface temperature. Individuals who do not pass the health survey and who have a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will be denied entry. These individuals will be given a denial receipt with the date and time of entry, which will be sent to the courtroom where the individual’s case was scheduled to be heard.
- Face Coverings: Everyone must wear a face covering in all court facilities with exceptions for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and sign language interpreters. The Department of Facilities Management (DFM) will provide a limited supply of disposable face coverings to people who do not have them and have a court date or other court business. Once DFM exhausts its supply of daily face coverings, people who arrive at court facilities without a face covering will be denied entry.
- Signage and Communication: DFM has posted signs throughout court facilities reminding people of COVID-19 symptoms and to wear face coverings, maintain six feet of physical distance from others, follow capacity limits and follow proper hand sanitizing.