Cook County Courthouses Close Friday Due To Winter Weather Forecasts

CHICAGO — Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans ordered courthouses to close Friday in anticipation of severe winter weather.

In an administrative order, Evans cited National Weather Service alerts that are "reliably predicting significant and problematic snow accumulation, wind speeds causing blizzard conditions, and extremely low air temperatures and wind chills," which he said could threaten the safety of people coming to court.

There will be no in-person or remote court hearings at any Cook County courthouse — other than adult bond hearings at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, detention hearings at the Cook County Juvenile Center and hearings for new civil emergency protective orders, which will be held Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

Orders of protection that had been scheduled to expire Friday have been extended to Jan. 6, and all cases in the domestic violence division that had been scheduled for Friday hearings were also pushed back two weeks, the chief judge ordered.

Any cases that had been scheduled for Friday will be rescheduled by the presiding judges of their respective divisions, according to the order.

All offices of the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court will also be closed, except for those needed to staff detention hearings, which will take place according to the court's weekend and holiday schedules.

Those seeking domestic violence advocacy, assistance with after-hours hearings or information about criminal order of protections were encouraged to contact the 24-hour hotline of Connections for Abused Women and their Children at 773-278-4566 or the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline in Chicago at 877-863-6338.