Rolling Meadows domestic violence courtroom ahead of its time

It was business as usual in Rolling Meadows courtroom 207 Tuesday, the day that marked the official expansion of the Cook County Circuit Court's new domestic violence division to the Third Municipal District.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans formed the division earlier this year, naming Judge Grace G. Dickler as its presiding judge. A committee looking at how to best handle such cases recommended the expansion, as part of ongoing efforts to address the needs of complaining witnesses and defendants involved in domestic violence disputes. The efforts began more than four years ago with the establishment of the county's first domestic violence court at 555 W. Harrison St., Chicago.

The committee determined Cook County already was on the cutting edge, providing a safe environment for victims and services for defendants through probation and social services, Dickler said.

Still, “certain modifications and additions were needed to fully accomplish the chief judge's vision,” she said.

That includes more training for court personnel on “issues related to domestic violence, the cycle of violence and the sensitivity required” for them to be “more cognizant of the needs of victims,” Dickler said.

It also means:

&bul; Centralizing civil and criminal domestic violence matters in one courtroom in each of the county's six districts to make the process more efficient and uniform.

&bul; More protection for victims whose criminal cases have concluded, but who still require civil remedies.

&bul; And improving services for complaining witnesses and defendants and consolidating them in one room.

The thing is, Rolling Meadows courtroom 207 has operated that way for more than a decade.

“It was not difficult to implement those ideas there. Everything was already working so well,” said Dickler.

She credits Third Municipal District Presiding Judge Joseph Urso, who she called “a visionary,” for instituting a domestic violence courtroom long before the committee made its recommendation.

Pointing out that the domestic violence courtroom predates his 1998 appointment as presiding judge, Urso declined credit, saying he merely refined the operation of the courtroom whose success he attributes to the willingness of judges, attorneys and other court personnel to adapt to changing circumstances.

“We're not afraid to tweak it to make it better,” said Urso.

Equally important is that court personnel understand “the spectrum of domestic violence,” said Urso, adding “if you don't have an idea of what (complaining witnesses and defendants) go through, you can't properly handle these cases.”

For example, a complaining witness might be reluctant to testify because he or she depends on the defendant for financial support.

“A judge has to understand and be sensitive to that,” Urso said.

Presiding over Rolling Meadows' domestic violence courtroom is Judge James Etchingham and Judge Joel Greenblatt. Sharing duties with Judge Anthony Iosco, they hear misdemeanor and felony matters; preside over bench and jury trials; set bonds and issue criminal and civil orders of protection.

Assistant public defenders from Cook County Public Defender Abishi Cunningham's office staff domestic violence courtrooms in Rolling Meadows, Bridgeview, Maywood and Chicago and will do so when courtrooms open in Skokie and Markham early next year.

“The only thing we ask is, if it's going to be done that we have the necessary funds to provide staffing for the courtrooms,” said Cunningham, a retired Cook County Circuit Court judge who worries that domestic violence cases often are accompanied by a “rush to judgment.”

A public defender has a responsibility to prevent that from happening, he said.

“You have a person who has a presumption of innocence,” Cunningham said, adding that until that presumption is removed, one can't just assume the defendant is guilty.