Cook judges boot Evans, select Beach as new chief judge

CHICAGO - After nearly a quarter century, Cook County's courts will operate under a new chief judge.

On Sept. 10, Cook County's 254 circuit judges voted to remove Judge Tim Evans from the position he has held since 2001.

By a vote of 144-109, the judges elected Judge Charles Beach to replace Evans as chief judge over the largest judicial circuit in Illinois and one of the largest unified court systems in the world.

The vote was announced by a the Chief Judge's office in a release posted as news of the vote broke on the evening of Sept. 10.

So far, both Evans and Beach have been publicly silent on the outcome of the secret ballot vote.

When asked by The Record if either Evans or Beach would release a statement on the election and what may happen next, a spokesperson for the chief judge's office responded: "Not yet."

Evans' removal comes after years of championing progressive causes and reforms in the criminal justice system in Cook County and statewide. Evans has been particularly outspoken in his support for criminal justice reforms undertaken by the state and in Cook County, such as a greater commitment to steering offenders through so-called restorative justice courts and strong support for the elimination of cash bail in Illinois achieved among other reforms through the so-called SAFE-T Act.

In public statements, Evans has repeatedly asserted the reforms have been effective and have not led to increasing numbers of accused criminals skipping court or being allowed to return to the community to commit more crimes.

Other officials in the court system and other observers, however, said real data didn't back up those claims.

News site CWBChicago, for instance, has tracked for years hundreds of crimes committed by offenders released pretrial in Cook County.

And former Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez said her office had documented more than 67,000 incidences in which criminal defendants may have skipped court dates in the first 12 months after the elimination of cash bail alone.

Martinez asserted the courts' seeming leniency had helped to prevent crime rates in Chicago and Cook County, in particular, from decreasing as rapidly as has crime in much of the rest of the country.

In response, Evans asserted Martinez's data and methods were flawed and has continued to assert criminal justice reforms have improved public safety, along with a greater respect for the rights of accused criminals.

Beach's position on all of Evans' public stances are not yet known.

However, in public comments, Beach has indicated a continued support for the elimination of cash bail, in particular, calling it a "better and fairer system."

In comments to court news publication Injustice Watch, Beach also said he believed Cook County needed to "develop policies 'in response to changing dynamics, such as the detention of immigrants in our courts.'"

According to published reports, Beach primarily campaigned against Evans on a platform of "rebuilding the court system's reputation," and pledging greater emphasis on communication between the chief judge's office and the judiciary, promising an "open-door" policy; on improving security and safety for judges; and on being more transparent about how judges are assigned and how judges are investigated and disciplined for alleged misconduct.

He said he would particularly clarify how and when judicial misconduct allegations are to be transferred to the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, rather than handled internally.

Beach said the changes are needed to avoid "redundancy and any opportunity for favoritism and unequal treatment."

In recent years, Evans has dealt with several high profile case of alleged judicial misconduct.

Among others:

- In 2024, longtime Cook County Judge Kathy Flanagan was referred to the state board for investigation into claims she allegedly ordered an attorney handcuffed to a chair following a tiff between the judge and the lawyer in her courtroom.

Flanagan reportedly asserted the investigation was unfair and would lead to instances in which attorneys who may disagree with a judge's ruling, "have a hissy fit," and launch investigations to destroy that judge's career.

- In 2017 the Illinois Courts Commission ordered former Cook County Judge Valerie Turner to retire from the bench, after she revealed under oath she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease amid an investigation into allegations she improperly allowed a law clerk who was also running for judge to preside over cases while wearing Turner's judicial robe.

In 2016, as he sought his sixth term as Cook County Chief Judge, Evans was challenged by other judges to provide a more full accounting of the matter. Evans reportedly refused, asserting he was barred by rules from commenting further.

That issue was among those that prompted Cook County Judge Thomas Allen to mount a strong but ultimately unsuccessful effort to unseat Evans as chief judge.

- And in 2024, the Cook County courts referred longtime Cook County Judge E. Kenneth Wright to the JIB for investigation into claims he had improperly claimed a property tax break for a property outside Cook County, when his primary residence was supposed to be within the county's limits.

Beach has been a Cook County judge since 2017 and currently serves as a circuit judge in the county's 6th Subcircuit.

He came to the bench after years of practice as a defense attorney.

Another Cook County judge, Nichole Patton, had also challenged Evans this year. However, she reportedly withdrew her candidacy and endorsed Beach.

Evans has served as chief judge in Cook County for eight three-year terms. The former Chicago alderman was the first black judge to hold the office.

He is also a noted political ally of Cook County Board President and local Democratic Party leader Toni Preckwinkle.

In her role at the top of the Cook County Democratic Party, Preckwinkle leads the committee tasked with blessing judicial candidates with the party's official endorsement, which generally makes it far more likely that a candidate will win election.

Beach will assume the role of chief judge on Dec. 1.