The Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County announces that it is no longer under federal court oversight after a federal judge dismissed the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office from the consent decrees and court orders that governed the office’s hiring processes since 1983. On Monday, Judge Edmond Chang found the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office in substantial compliance with the consent decrees and court orders. The finding of substantial compliance and dismissal of the office from the consent decrees and court orders is due to the creation and implementation of a new Employment Plan, acting in good faith to remedy instances of non-compliance, the absence of employment decisions based upon political factors, and the implementation of procedures that will prevent politics from interfering with the long-term operations of the office.

“When we took office on December 1, 2020, one of our top priorities was to institute hiring reforms and initiatives that enabled our office to hire, transfer, train, and retrain staff in a transparent and more efficient manner,” said Martinez. At the hearing, Judge Chang noted that Clerk Martinez and her team came into office with a completely different attitude concerning Shakman, as evidenced by Clerk Martinez reaching substantial compliance faster than any other defendant. He also noted that over 300 persons were hired without any findings or complaints of unlawful political discrimination. Achieving substantial compliance in less than two years is an incredible feat, which was only achievable by the hard work of everyone in the office, and Cook County taxpayers will save hundreds of thousand dollars,” said Martinez.