{"id":4013,"date":"2022-02-24T17:50:49","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T17:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chicagocouncil.org\/staging\/1601\/?p=4013"},"modified":"2022-02-24T18:26:32","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T18:26:32","slug":"one-year-progress-report-clerk-of-the-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chicagocouncil.org\/staging\/1601\/one-year-progress-report-clerk-of-the-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Progress Report: First Year of the New Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Civic Federation released our report<\/a> examining Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez\u2019s first full year in office. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This progress report follows a report issued ahead of the November 2020 general election that provided transition recommendations for the new Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County: New Directions for the Office of the Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court: Recommendations for Planning and Transitioning to New Leadership<\/em><\/a>. The coalition\u2019s first progress report, detailing the Clerk\u2019s first 100 days in office<\/a>, was released in April 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report released today provides updates on the progress made by Clerk Martinez\u2019s administration on each of the twenty-four recommendations made by our coalition since taking office on December 1, 2020. We found that the Clerk\u2019s Office has made meaningful progress in several areas, but much work remains to bring the office up to the standards of technological competence, customer service, and accessibility that are necessary for public agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of our 24 initial recommendations<\/a>, it appears that three have been completed<\/em>, four are in progress<\/em>, nine have been initiated but are not complete<\/em>, and eight have not been initiated<\/em>. <\/strong>The details of progress for each initiative can be found in the full report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Circuit Court Clerk oversees the handling of hundreds of thousands of court cases filed in the Cook County Circuit Court annually and a staff of nearly 1,500 people. Much of the Clerk\u2019s first year was devoted to understanding the challenges inherited in the office, which had a reputation for a lack of efficiency and transparency. Now that the new Clerk of the Circuit Court has had a year to understand the day-to-day needs of the office, Chicago Appleseed, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Civic Federation urge the Clerk\u2019s Office to transition to proactive improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several of the initiatives we encourage the Office of the Clerk to prioritize going forward include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n