Sexual and domestic violence are an epidemic throughout Cook County, affecting people from all walks of life – particularly women and girls, people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community. The Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court has many responsibilities that impact the experience survivors of gender-based violence have when attempting to access justice in both civil and criminal courts.  Specifically, these responsibilities include:

• Being the official record-keeper and docket-keeper for all court documents, including orders of protection, civil no contact orders and stalking no contact orders
• Fulfilling court orders to seal, expunge and vacate convictions, including vacating prostitution convictions for survivors of sex trafficking
• Collecting court fines and fees
• Maintaining technical systems like E-Filing
• Managing and training more than 1,000 employees who regularly interact with survivors of gender-based violence

Leaders and experts on gender-based violence from seven organizations, including Life Span, asked candidates for the Clerk of Circuit Court about their plans for addressing gender-based violence in the court systems.

We hope these questionnaires help inform your vote for the March 17th primary election. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.