Illinois Uses Circuit Courts
Illinois has a three-tier judiciary: the Supreme Court of Illinois at the top, the Illinois Appellate Court as the intermediate review court, and the Circuit Courts as trial courts of original jurisdiction. Cook County is one of Illinois's single-county judicial circuits. The Illinois Courts circuit-court page at illinoiscourts.gov explains the structure.
The Circuit Court of Cook County hears civil lawsuits, felony and misdemeanor prosecutions, traffic and ordinance matters, divorces, parentage, orders of protection, probate estates, guardianships, juvenile matters, tax objections, name changes, mental health proceedings, and administrative review. Cook County does not have separate county courts, justice courts, or JP courts. Those functions are consolidated within the Circuit Court.
Cook County as a Single-County Circuit
The Office of the Chief Judge sits at the Richard J. Daley Center, Room 2600. Main phone (312) 603-6000. The Chief Judge oversees court administration across the county. The court organization page lists County Department divisions and Municipal Department districts; the page is shown below.
County Department Divisions
The County Department is divided by subject matter. The eight divisions handle countywide calendars at the Daley Center, Leighton Criminal Courthouse, and Domestic Violence Courthouse.
| Division | Location | Phone | Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chancery | Daley Center, Courtroom 2403 | (312) 603-4181 | Equity, foreclosure, injunctions, class actions |
| County | Daley Center, Courtroom 1703 | (312) 603-6194 | Adoptions, mental health, name changes, tax deeds, election matters |
| Criminal | Leighton Criminal Courthouse, 2600 S. California | (773) 674-3160 | Felony prosecutions, expungements |
| Domestic Relations | Daley Center, Courtroom 1905 | (312) 603-3025 | Divorce, civil-union dissolution, parentage, support, parenting time |
| Domestic Violence | 555 W. Harrison St. | (312) 325-9000 | Protection orders, domestic-violence criminal actions, stalking |
| Law | Daley Center, Courtroom 2210 | (312) 603-6066 | Civil damages over $30,000 Chicago / $100,000 suburbs |
| Probate | Daley Center, Courtroom 1803 | (312) 603-7546 | Wills, estates, guardianship, minor estates |
| Pretrial | Various locations | Office of Chief Judge | Pretrial release, supervision, electronic monitoring |
Municipal Department Districts
The Municipal Department is divided geographically. The First District is Chicago, based at the Daley Center. The five suburban districts cover north, northwest, west, southwest, and south Cook County. The full court location list is shown below.
| District | Courthouse | Address |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Municipal | Richard J. Daley Center | 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602 |
| 2nd Municipal | Skokie Courthouse | 5600 Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077 |
| 3rd Municipal | Rolling Meadows Courthouse | 2121 Euclid Ave., Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 |
| 4th Municipal | Maywood Courthouse | 1500 Maybrook Dr., Maywood, IL 60153 |
| 5th Municipal | Bridgeview Courthouse | 10220 S. 76th Ave., Bridgeview, IL 60455 |
| 6th Municipal | Markham Courthouse | 16501 S. Kedzie Parkway, Markham, IL 60428 |
Richard J. Daley Center
The Daley Center at 50 W. Washington Street is the central civil courthouse. Building hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The concourse-level pedway runs 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and connects the Daley Center to City Hall, the Dunne Administration Building, and CTA Red and Blue Line stations. The Daley Center hosts the First Municipal District, Chancery, County, Domestic Relations, Law, Probate, and the Traffic Section.
The Daley Center location page is below.
George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse
The Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 2600 S. California Avenue is the principal felony courthouse and sits next to the jail complex. The Criminal Division handles serious criminal prosecutions, related Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code matters, Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act proceedings, habeas corpus and extradition in criminal matters, and arrest-record expungement petitions. The Leighton page is below.
Domestic Violence Courthouse
The Domestic Violence Courthouse at 555 W. Harrison Street handles civil orders of protection, civil no-contact orders, stalking no-contact orders, and certain felony preliminary matters and misdemeanors involving family or household relationships. After-hours remote hearings for civil emergency orders of protection are available outside regular court hours Monday-Friday 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. and Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Domestic Violence Courthouse page is shown below.
Suburban Municipal Districts
Each suburban courthouse runs traffic, misdemeanor, civil, domestic relations, and felony preliminary calendars. The Skokie Courthouse (Second Municipal District) is at 5600 Old Orchard Road. Free parking is available east of the courthouse. The Skokie page is shown below.
Rolling Meadows (Third Municipal District) at 2121 Euclid Avenue has a large parking garage. Maywood (Fourth Municipal District) at 1500 Maybrook Drive serves west suburban traffic, misdemeanor, civil, and felony preliminary matters. Bridgeview (Fifth Municipal District) at 10220 S. 76th Avenue covers southwest suburban matters. Markham (Sixth Municipal District) at 16501 S. Kedzie Parkway covers the south suburbs.
How a Case Moves Through the System
A Cook County case typically follows the path below from intake to appeal.
Case flow: Arrest or filing › Bond hearing or initial pretrial › Municipal District or County Department docket › Trial › Sentencing or judgment › Illinois Appellate Court, First District › Supreme Court of Illinois (discretionary)
- A criminal case starts with arrest or complaint. A civil case starts with a filing in the Clerk's office.
- Bond or pretrial release is decided early in a criminal case. After September 18, 2023, Illinois pretrial reform replaced cash bond with release / detention decisions.
- The case is assigned to a division or municipal district based on case type and location.
- Pretrial motions, discovery, and status calls follow.
- Trial or prove-up takes place before a judge or jury.
- After judgment or sentence, a party may file a notice of appeal within the statutory window.
- Appeals go to the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, at 160 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, (312) 793-5484.
- Further review by the Supreme Court of Illinois is discretionary in most cases.
Circuit Court vs Municipal District
Cook County does not separate "circuit court" from "county court." All trial-court matters are within the single Circuit Court of Cook County. The County Department handles countywide subject-matter divisions. The Municipal Department handles geographic districts.
| County Department | Municipal Department | |
|---|---|---|
| Organized by | Subject matter | Geographic district |
| Common cases | Chancery, Criminal, Domestic Relations, Law, Probate, County, Domestic Violence | Misdemeanors, traffic, civil under thresholds, eviction, ordinance |
| Location | Mostly Daley Center, plus 26th and California for criminal | Daley Center plus the five suburban courthouses |
| Civil damages threshold | Law Division: over $30,000 Chicago, over $100,000 suburbs | Below those thresholds |
Specialty and Restorative Courts
The Circuit Court runs Problem-Solving Courts including mental health, drug treatment, and veterans treatment dockets. Restorative Justice Community Courts sit in Avondale, Englewood, North Lawndale, and Sauk Village. General Administrative Order 2026-02 established a Gun Accountability Program Court under the Criminal Division.
Appeals From Cook County
Appeals from the Circuit Court of Cook County go to the Illinois Appellate Court, First District. The First District is at 160 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60601, phone (312) 793-5484. Further review by the Supreme Court of Illinois is mostly discretionary, except for capital and certain rule-required matters. The Illinois Supreme Court Remote Access Policy lets the public read reviewing-court documents filed on or after April 1, 2025 through re:SearchIL.