Two key points consistently have been overlooked in recent Tribune editorials criticizing the County Board and my office on the issue of meeting our domestic violence court needs: Improvements have been made, and the Cook County Board president put the domestic violence courts on the front burner in the first place.
Last year, I opened 10 new Daley Center courtrooms that moved Domestic Relations Division courts out of the cramped 1340 S. Michigan Ave. courthouse.
At the May 5, 1997, opening of the new Daley Center courtrooms, Chief Judge Donald O’Connell said, “They will not only consolidate all domestic relations cases in the Daley Center, but also will provide much needed relief for domestic violence courts through this additional court space.” And 10 more courtrooms will help ease overcrowding.
Last August, I convinced the Public Building Commission to expand its study of Traffic Court to include the domestic violence courts. That study, along with the work of my Committee on Courts for the 21st Century, has paved the way for a real solution to the space problems facing our domestic violence courts. The County Board last week was given a confidential briefing on how the problem might be solved.
And in this year’s budget, I designated 8 of 21 new Public Safety positions for domestic violence prosecution and prevention efforts, and I earmarked an additional $175,000 for domestic violence services and programs.
Based on these facts, the public–including criminal justice officials and women’s advocates–has been assured of my firm commitment to ensure proper administration of justice in domestic violence court.
It was unfortunate that election-year politics prompted a few of my County Board colleagues to breach the board’s confidentiality on a real estate matter at a time when it is important to be able to acquire an affordable site that is accessible to public and private transportation.
And it is simply unfair of the Tribune’s editors to ignore the fact that, long before the problems at 13th and Michigan gained attention, I was working on the solution.
