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The new entrance to the Daley Center. Litigants will wait in this tent, answer health ?’s, get a temp check and then wait in line for the elevators, which will be 4 people max. Great health precautions. However.
This is still a huge health risk. Just getting to court is a health risk. People who have the resources required for a Zoom hearing don’t have to do this. People who don’t have urgent matters don’t have to do this.
This tent will be full of people who need access to the court and because of income or other barriers can’t use video tech. This tent will have my clients, TGNC folks seeking a legal name change, in it.
Hearings for uncontested adult name changes are the whim of the court. It’s not required by statute. How many other proceedings are discretionary but continued as “tradition”?
Cook County hasn’t heard misdemeanor cases since March. They are piling up, and in the meantime people are looking for work with unresolved arrests on their record. Prosecutors have discretion and now would be a good time to use it.
This moment is an opportunity for Cook County courts to be forward moving, remove barriers and keep people safe. Let’s not waste the chance to actually make some positive change.
