tcevansFullBio

Judge Timothy C. Evans

    Timothy C. Evans serves as the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, the
largest of the 22 judicial circuits in Illinois and also one of the largest unified court systems
in the world. More than 1.7 million cases are filed annually in the Circuit Court of Cook County,
which serves Cook County's 5.1 million residents.

    Chief Judge Evans oversees the circuit's approximately 420 judges whom he assigns
throughout the court's nine divisions and six geographic districts. He also oversees an annual
budget of approximately $210 million and more than 2,800 employees who work in 13
non-judicial offices providing probation and other court-related services.

    Chief Judge Evans was first elected Chief Judge in September 2001 by unanimous vote of the circuit judges. He was
re-elected without opposition to a second term in September 2004 and a third in September 2007. Only the fourth
person to serve as Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, he also is the first African American to serve in the
position.

    During his nine years as Chief Judge, Evans has brought sweeping reforms to the court that are both innovative and
compassionate. His efforts include critical changes to the bail setting process, a new Domestic Violence Courthouse,
and the launch of the first court-wide division dedicated to hearing only domestic violence matters. He also has
significantly expanded the use of problem solving courts from three (3) drug treatment courts to include three (3) mental
health treatment courts, two (2) veterans courts and one (1) prostitution court.

    Under his leadership, there has been an unparalleled growth in free legal services for low-income, self-represented
litigants, including a free mediation program to help homeowners facing foreclosure. Also, the court’s national
reputation for its extremely effective alternatives to incarceration for young people in trouble, continues to grow.

    Chief Judge Evans has expanded court services to children with innovative drop-off child care that provides a safe,
court-based haven for children whose parents or guardians are attending court. Children’s Advocacy Rooms currently
operate in seven court facilities and two more will open in the fall of 2010.

    Since he assumed office initially in 2001, there also has been an unprecedented expansion of the Chief Judge's
duties by state and local government that include administration of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and the
Office of Official Court Reporters.

    Chief Judge Evans also continues to expand opportunities for women and minorities at the court's executive level,
appointing the first Hispanic American as presiding judge of the west suburban Fourth Municipal District, the first woman
as presiding judge of the Chancery Division and the first African American woman as presiding judge of the south
suburban Sixth Municipal District.

    Chief Judge Evans is a 1965 graduate of the University of Illinois. He received his J.D. from The John Marshall Law
School, Chicago, Illinois, in 1969.

    Upon graduation from John Marshall, Chief Judge Evans embarked on a lifelong pursuit of public service. He first
entered local city government in 1969 when he joined the City of Chicago's Law Department as an assistant corporation
counsel. He later joined the City of Chicago's Department of Investigations, rising to deputy commissioner. In 1973, he
was elected to the Chicago City Council representing the 4th Ward, a position he held for 18 years while maintaining a
private practice.

    With the election of Harold Washington as mayor of Chicago in 1983, Chief Judge Evans assumed the coveted post
of floor leader of the Chicago City Council. He also chaired several major City Council committees, including those on
Finance, Budget, and Health.

    In 1992, Chief Judge Evans won election to the Cook County judiciary as a circuit judge. Within three years of
joining the court, he was appointed the presiding judge of the Domestic Relations Division. Five years later in 2000, he
was appointed presiding judge of the Law Division where he served until his election as Chief Judge.

      Chief Judge Evans has received numerous awards. In 2009, he became the first judge from Illinois to receive the
William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence from the National Center for State Courts. The award is one of the
most prestigious judicial honors in the country and has been presented annually since 1996 by the Chief Justice of the
United States Supreme Court.

    In January 2010, he was named by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of the “10 Attorneys Who Raised The Bar
Over the Last Decade.”