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Cook County State's Attorney

The Cook County State's Attorney is the chief prosecutor for Cook County, Illinois. The State's Attorney oversees the second-largest prosecutor's office in the United States, with over 600 attorneys and 1,200 employees. The office's responsibilities include directing Illinois criminal prosecutions in the county, filing legal actions to enforce child support orders, consumer protection, and assistance for victims of domestic violence.

The State's Attorney is elected for a term of four years. The current incumbent is Eileen O'Neill Burke, who was first elected in 2024.

Subdivisions of the state's attorney's office

  • The Criminal Prosecutions Bureau is the largest bureau in the office. The bureau is divided into three divisions: Felony Trial, Sexual Crimes, and Municipal. Each division is further divided into specialized units located throughout the county. The bureau is also charged with prosecuting thousands of domestic violence cases each year as well as cases of child sexual abuse through the Child Advocacy Division.
  • The Juvenile Justice Bureau contains two divisions: Delinquency and Child Protection. The Delinquency Division handles cases involving juveniles who have been charged with committing misdemeanors or felonies. The Child Protection Division files civil actions against parents and guardians who abuse or neglect their children.
  • The Narcotics Bureau consists of the following units: Preliminary Hearings/Grand Jury, Felony Trial, Narcotics Courtrooms, Drug Treatment Programs, Complex Narcotics Prosecution, and Asset Forfeitures.
  • The Special Prosecutions Bureau is responsible for investigating and prosecuting complex criminal and public corruption cases. It includes units for Auto Theft, Gang Crimes, Government and Financial Crimes, Organized Crime/Cold Case, and Professional Standards. It also initiates civil and criminal lawsuits to protect individuals and the general public interest. Consumer Fraud and Seniors and Persons with Disabilities are also units in the bureau.
  • The Civil Actions Bureau defends the county and its officeholders and employees in civil suits, provides a full range of legal services for all county agencies, and represents the county's interests in actions brought to collect monies owed for taxes and fees. The bureau has sections dedicated to Child Support Services, Complex Litigation, Labor and Employment, Civil Rights/Torts, Workers' Compensation, Municipal Litigation (including Transactions/Health Law), and Real Estate Tax Litigation.
  • The Investigations and Administrative Services Bureaus supply investigative, technical and administrative assistance to the office.
  • The Administrative Services Bureau supports all the other bureaus with administrative personnel and contains the office's national award-winning Victim Witness Assistance Program that provides services to crime victims.

Appearance in fiction

A fictionalized version of the office is a major backdrop in Presumed Innocent, TV series The Good Wife, and the Chicago franchise.

List of Cook County State's Attorneys

Election results

|- | colspan=16 style="text-align:center;" |Cook County State's Attorney general elections |- !Year !Winning candidate !Party !Vote (pct) !Opponent !Party ! Vote (pct) !Opponent !Party ! Vote (pct) !Opponent !Party ! Vote (pct) !Opponent !Party ! Vote (pct) !Opponent !Party ! Vote (pct) |- |1900 | | Charles S. Deneen | | Republican | | 205,709 (51.94%) | | Julius Goldzier | | Democratic | | 178,696 (45.12%) | | Thomas J. Morgan | | Social Democratic | | 6,227 (1.57%) || Walter Hawk || Prohibition || 5,236 (1.32%) | C. H. Becker | People's | 153 (0.04%) | | | |- |1904 | | John J. Healy | | Republican | | 206,487 (53.13%) | | George A. Trude | | Democratic | | 132,811 (34.17%) | | Seymour Stedman | | Socialist | | 39,736 (10.22%) || M. C. Harper || Prohibition || 5,630 (1.45%) | | Henry Sale | | Socialist Labor | | 2,547 (0.66%) | L. A. Shaw | People's | 1,468 (0.38%) |- |1908 | | John E. W. Wayman | | Republican | | 197,805 (48.57%) | | Jacob J. Kern | | Democratic | | 146,133 (35.89%) || William Street || Prohibition || 45,528 (11.18%) | | Seymour Stedman | | Socialist | | 17,471 (4.29%) | | Charles H. Mitchell | | independent | | 9,279 (2.28%) | | | |- |1912 | | Maclay Hoyne | | Democratic | | 122,419 (27.85%) | | Lewis Rinaker | | Republican | | 113,181 (25.74%) | | William A. Cunnea | | Socialist | | 107,647 (24.49%) | | George I. Haight | | Progressive | | 93,495 (21.27%) | | John H. Hill | | Prohibition | | 2,895 (0.66%) | | | |- |1916 | | Maclay Hoyne | | Democratic | | 236,384 (44.57%) | | Harry B. Miller | | Republican | | 191,456 (36.10%) | | William A. Cunnea | | Socialist | | 102,579 (19.34%) | | | | | | | | | |- |1920 | | Robert E. Crowe | | Republican | | 525,115 (58.44%) | | Michael L. Igoe | | Democratic | | 319,236 (35.53%) | | William A. Cunnea | | Socialist | | 50,766 (5.65%) | | John C. Teevan | | Farmer–Labor | | 3,463 (0.39%) | | | | | |- | 1924<br/>...<br/>1968 | colspan=18 | |- |1972 | | Bernard Carey | | Republican | | | | Edward Hanrahan | | Democratic | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |1976 | | Bernard Carey | | Republican | | | | Edward J. Egan | | Democratic | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |1980 | | Richard M. Daley | | Democratic | | 1,058,529 (50.39%) | | Bernard Carey | | Republican | | 1,042,287 (49.61%) | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |1984 | | Richard M. Daley | | Democratic | | 1,418,775 (65.98%) | | Richard J. Brzeczek | | Republican | | 731,634 (34.02%) | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |1988 | | Richard M. Daley | | Democratic | | 1,303,906 (66.70%) | | Terrance W. Gainer | | Republican | | 650,942 (33.30%) | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |1990 | | Jack O'Malley | | Republican | | 692,192 (52.96%) | | Cecil A. Partee | | Democratic | | 511,424 (39.13%) |Text style="background:#D2B48C | Janice H. Robinson |Text style="background:#D2B48C | Harold Washington Party |Text style="background:#D2B48C | 103,353 (7.91%) | | | | | | | | | |- |1992 | | Jack O'Malley | | Republican | | 1,272,939 (61.27%) | | Patrick J. O'Connor | | Democratic | | 804,528 (38.73%) | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |1996 | | Richard A. Devine | | Democratic | | 805,659 (47.88%) | | Jack O'Malley | | Republican | | 694,306 (41.26%) | R. Eugene Pincham | Justice Party | 156,695 (9.31%) |Text style="background:#D2B48C | Lawrence C. Redman Jr. |Text style="background:#D2B48C | Harold Washington Party |Text style="background:#D2B48C | 26,131 (1.55%) | | | | | | |- |2000 | | Richard A. Devine | | Democratic | | 1,337,578 (78.30%) | | David P. Gaughan | | Republican | | 370,678 (21.70%) | | | | | | | | | | | |- |2004 | | Richard A. Devine | | Democratic | | 1,483,280 (79.43%) | | Philip Spiwak | | Republican | | 384,082 (20.57%) | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |2008 | | Anita Alvarez | | Democratic | | 1,378,452 (69.90%) | | Tony Peraica | | Republican | | 494,611 (25.08%) | | Thomas O'Brien | | Green | | 99,101 (5.03%) | | | | | | | | | |- |2012 | | Anita Alvarez | | Democratic | | 1,427,145 (77.05%) | | Lori S. Yokoyama | | Republican | | 421,810 (22.77%) | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |2016 | | Kim Foxx | | Democratic | | 1,459,087 (72.06%) | | Christopher E.K. Pfannkuche | | Republican | | 565,671 (27.94%) | | | | | | | | | | | | |- |2020 | | Kim Foxx | | Democratic | | 1,194,299 (54.21%) | | Pat O'Brien | | Republican | | 861,108 (39.08%) | | Brian Dennehy | | Libertarian | | 147,769 (6.71%) | | | | | | | | | |- |2024

See also

References

External links