Impact of COVID-19 on Cook County Family Law Cases

March 25th, 2020 by Tiffany Hughes

Social distancing is an important first step in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and the State of Illinois has swiftly responded to the pandemic by closing all non-essential operations to protect the health and safety of all Illinois citizens. Governor Pritzker issued a mandatory stay-at-home order requiring people to remain in their homes unless they have an essential job or are doing an essential task, such as going to the grocery store or walking a pet. The Circuit Court of Cook County released a general administrative order detailing temporary new court procedures and announcing a 30 day shutdown of the court.

What Is Happening to My Court Date?

If you are currently involved in a family law case in Cook County, such as a child support, custody or divorce case, and you have an upcoming court date, your court date has been automatically rescheduled. All court dates between March 17, 2020 and April 15, 2020 have been automatically rescheduled by 30 days. For example, if you had a court date scheduled for April 7, 2020, your court date has been automatically rescheduled to May 7, 2020. However, all citizens should be prepared to stay at home for longer than 30 days, and the court may continue and extend court dates past April 16, 2020 if deemed necessary.

What If An Emergency Occurs During the Shut Down?

If an emergency occurs during the current pandemic, the Circuit Court of Cook County will hear emergency motions that meet certain standards. The new rules on what constitutes an emergency are strict and limited at this time. If you think an emergency has occurred in your court case, and you need the Court to address the emergency immediately, you should contact The Law Office of Tiffany Hughes to discuss the emergency, to determine whether your emergency meets the current higher standards to be heard in Court, and to help you file an Emergency Motion to present in front of the Court.

Call Us Today

Here at The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, the firm is open and our attorneys are working diligently on all of our cases, are taking on new cases, and are available to provide clarity on court proceedings during this confusing time. For more information on how the family law attorneys at The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, P.C. can help you with your family law case during this COVID-19 pandemic, contact us to schedule your complimentary phone consultation today at 773-893-0228.

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This blog is made available by The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, P.C. for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of Illinois law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, P.C.. The website should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in Illinois.  The law changes constantly and we do not go back in time to edit old posts that may be affected by these changes.  If you have any questions about Illinois law, which is the only State this blog and website discusses, please call The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, P.C. for a free consultation and do not draw any legal conclusions without speaking to a competent attorney in Illinois first.