Circuit Court of Whiteside County, Illinois (14th Judicial Circuit) Adjournment & Extension Requirements

CRITICAL

Dates in the order cannot be extended by party agreement, and a court date may be continued only by motion and order for good cause shown.

Except as otherwise provided herein, none of the above dates are subject to extension by agreement of the parties and no Court date may be continued except on Motion and Order for good cause shown.

CRITICAL

For a continuance, attorneys must prepare any required order, immediately notify the scheduling clerk, and reschedule the hearing at once.

The attorneys are responsible for preparing any required order for continuance and shall immediately notify the scheduling clerk and shall reschedule the hearing at once.

CRITICAL

A party may seek to advance or postpone an arbitration hearing by written motion, which must state the reason and be served on the specified recipients; the Supervising Judge may grant the request for good cause.

Any party to a case may request advancement or postponement of a scheduled arbitration hearing date by filing written motion with the office of the circuit clerk requesting such change. Such motion and notice of hearing thereon shall be served upon counsel for all other parties and upon pro-se parties in the same manner as other motions and a copy of the motion and notice of time of hearing thereon on the calendar of the Supervising Judge for Arbitration, and shall likewise be served upon the Arbitration Administrator. The motion shall contain a concise statement of the reason for the change of hearing date. The Supervising Judge may grant such advancement or postponement upon good cause shown.

CRITICAL

A party seeking to defer mediation must file within 14 days after referral, set the motion before the scheduled mediation, notify interested parties including the mediator, and detail its supporting facts and circumstances; mediation is tolled pending disposition.

Within 14 days of the Order of Referral, any party may file a motion with the court to defer the mediation. The movant shall set the motion to defer the mediation proceeding prior to the scheduled date for mediation. Notice of the hearing shall be provided to all interested parties, including any mediator who has been appointed. The motion shall set forth, in detail, the facts and circumstances supporting the motion. Mediation shall be tolled until disposition of the motion.

CRITICAL

Mediation must be completed within seven weeks of the first conference unless the court orders an extension.

The mediation shall be completed within seven weeks of the first mediation conference unless extended by order of the Court.

CRITICAL

The mediation process must be completed within seven weeks of the initial conference unless the court extends the deadline.

Mediation process must be completed within seven (7) weeks of initial mediation conference unless extended by court.

WARNING

Jury trials were suspended during June 2020, with in-person jury trials expected to resume in July.

The lack of sufficient safeguards for social distancing, limitations in court facilities and staffing, and the time necessary to address these issues and still effectuate a jury trial, prevent jury trials from occurring during June, 2020. Suspending such trials during the month of June serves the ends of justice and outweighs the best interests of the public and defendants in a speedy trial. However, these concerns necessitating a continuance are expected to be sufficiently addressed such that in-person jury trials may resume in July, 2020.

WARNING

A judge’s substitution does not automatically establish cause for a continuance.

The substitution of a judge is not automatically cause for a continuance.

WARNING

All continuances must be set to a specific date.

(d) All continuances shall be to a date certain.

WARNING

Continuances in these cases are not to be granted except for good cause shown.

It is the policy of the Circuit that all such cases shall be set for trial and tried by jury or on jury waiver or otherwise disposed of as soon as possible, and that continuances not be granted in such case, except for good cause shown.

CRITICAL

A scheduled hearing cannot be cancelled by agreement of the parties without the assigned judge’s concurrence.

No scheduled hearing shall be cancelled by agreement of the parties without concurrence of the assigned judge.