Kane County task force not keen on night court idea

Sorry, John Larroquette, Kane County won't have a job for you after all.

Night court will likely not be one of the solutions to the county's space problems at the judicial center as it prepares to accommodate three new judges and criminal courts at the end of the year.

The county's task force examining the issue ruled out night court at the recommendation of Chief Judge F. Keith Brown Thursday as officials inch closer to making a final recommendation for a solution to the full county board in a couple months.

The task force appears to favor both a short- and long-term solution to the space problem. Brown said he hopes the task force can accept his thoughts on a short-term solution and focus the bulk of the their attention on a long-term answer.

For Brown, the short-term answer will most likely involve relocating the county's abuse and neglect court spaces to another county facility to create the new criminal courtroom and judges' chambers needed at the judicial center.

Night court, while it sounds like a good idea, won't work in practice, Brown said.

"Who in the public would want to get (to court) at 4 p.m., after work, and then possibly stay there until six or seven at night?" Brown said. "What we'll end up having is we'll have a large resistance on behalf of the public to come to night court."

Brown said night court is not a common practice across the country. In addition to public backlash, Brown said it would be difficult to convince prosecutors, defense attorneys and court security and staff to adjust their work schedules or work 12-hour days.

The task force seemed to agree with Brown's position, though no formal action was taken to officially eliminate the idea of night court.

Brown said he's also ready to nix the idea of moving divorce courts to another facility because it would force the county to spend more money on a short-term solution, taking cash away from a long-term answer.

The long-term answer, one the task force has agreed it tentatively prefers, involves adding a new wing and probably a new parking structure to the judicial center. That preference, however, comes before knowing the actual cost to build those structures. The task force should get that number for the first time on June 24.

Brown said his plan for short-term solutions might buy the county up to six years to settle on a long-term plan and find the money to make it happen.