A coalition of public service organizations – Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Civic Federation – released a report examining Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez’s first full year in office. This progress report follows a report issued in fall 2020 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. The coalition’s first progress report, detailing the Clerk’s first 100 days in office, was released in April 2021.

The report provides updates on the progress made by Clerk Martinez’s administration on each of the 24 New Directions recommendations since taking office December 1, 2020. They found that the Clerk’s Office has made progress in several areas, including compliance with the Shakman hiring process, staff training, and initiatives aimed at improving customer service including the establishment of a call center. Of the 24 recommendations, three have been completed, four are in progress, nine have been initiated but not completed and eight have not been initiated. The details of progress made on each initiative can be found in the full report, at www.chicagoappleseed.org/clerk-one-year-progress-report and www.civicfed.org/circuitcourtclerkyearone.

Several of the initiatives that the three organizations encourage the Clerk to prioritize going forward are:

• Reassessing staffing levels based on workloads and court activity, and better aligning operational processes with new e-filing and case management system technologies;

• Establishing a long-term strategy to streamline electronic filing, electronic order entry and moving toward remote online access to case documents;

• Ensuring coordination and uniformity of customer service initiatives across divisions and courthouses, coordinated through a designated staff person;