Lake County Gazette

Lake County will begin hearing court cases as the Waukegan courthouse will reopen virtually next week after 10 weeks of the shutdown. 

Zoom will be used to conduct all hearings, including family court, civil court, small claims court, criminal court and other cases appearing before a judge, the Daily Herald reported. Any cases needing a jury will still be on hold. 

Anyone can access the new court hearing system by visiting Illinois' 19th Judicial Circuit Court website. Staff has already set up rooms for all of the courtrooms and YouTube pages for each one as well, the Daily Herald reported. 

Those who are participating in the hearing will be allowed into the Zoom meeting by the presiding judge. All others can view the hearing on YouTube, unless the case is happening at a different courthouse. If an individual doesn't have access to the internet, they can use computers at the courthouse to view the hearings. 

The new system has been in the works since the courthouse first closed in March, Kasey Morgan, court spokeswoman, told the Daily Herald. 

"It's really been a collaborative effort so far," Morgan told the Daily Herald. "Everyone sees the need for safety measures in court."

While trying to keep everyone as safe as possible, staff members have also been working hard to get the courthouse up and running again.

"Obviously there will be some sort of backlog," Morgan told the Daily Herald. "We are working not only to catch up but to stay on track."

Jury trials are still on hold, but court officials told the Daily Herald that a task force of judges are working together to determine how these cases will resume. 

Anyone with questions on the new system can call the courthouse at 847-377-3600 or watch a video, called "Got Court? No Worries. Just Zoom In," put together by judges and court officials to give instructions on the new program.