CHICAGO (February 9, 2024) – In response to concerns about expert witness scheduling in the Law Division of the Cook County Circuit Court, Acting Presiding Judge Kathy M. Flanagan amended the advanced random assignment procedure Thursday. Under the new order, the verification of availability of five agreed-upon judges will be processed solely through personnel in Room 2005.
The advanced random assignment procedure initially created an optional trial assignment method where once a trial date is set, all parties involved in the litigation have to agree on five trial judges for consideration. They then file a motion or letter requesting this type of assignment at least 30 days before the currently set trial date and a court computer then randomly generates the judge assignment for trial, Law Bulletin stated.
The order was originally established as “the court recognizes the difficulty of scheduling witnesses, especially expert witnesses, in complex cases and the importance of trials starting on a certain date.” Those difficulties remain a reality for attorneys with cases in the Law Division, possibly more now than before, as frustrations with trial assignments in Room 2005 have surfaced in recent months.
Partner Brian L. Salvi spoke with the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin about the order and said he is openminded about the change, as he doesn’t foresee it causing any additional problems.
