History of the Circuit Court
History of McHenry County Courthouse
First Courthouse Located in McHenry - 1840 to 1844
When McHenry County was established in 1836 it extended from the Boone County line all the way to Lake Michigan and the county seat was located in the village of McHenry. A few years later, the Illinois legislature divided the county into present day Lake and McHenry Counties.
The first courthouse was built in 1838 and was originally located on the Court Street side of the public square, which is now McHenry’s Veteran’s Memorial Park. From approximately 1840 until 1844, before Centerville (Woodstock) became the county seat, this building served as McHenry County’s first courthouse. Once the county seat moved to Centerville in 1844, the county’s first courthouse was sold and moved to its present location at 1401 N. Riverside Drive, on the northwest corner of Riverside Drive and Pearl Street in McHenry. The building has served as a hotel, bar, restaurant and store over the years, and is currently a privately owned bar and restaurant.
Second & Third Courthouses Located on Woodstock Square - 1844 to 1972
In September of 1843, the citizens voted to move the McHenry County Courthouse to Centerville (later renamed Woodstock in 1845). A plain 2-story courthouse was constructed in 1844 and stood a little south of the center of the Woodstock Square. The sheriff’s office, living quarters, and jail were on the first floor, while the courtroom occupied the second floor. There was no space for other county offices. The courthouse moved to that small building (McHenry County’s second courthouse) inside the Woodstock Square on September 23, 1844.
In 1855, after efforts to move the courthouse back to McHenry, or to Algonquin, failed, county officials voted to build a new courthouse on the west side of the Woodstock Square. Woodstock citizens agreed to purchase that land and transfer ownership to the county in exchange for the City Square, which today is the Woodstock Square city park.
The new courthouse (McHenry County’s third courthouse) was completed in 1858. The original cost of the building was $47,000. In 1887 the County purchased land to the north of the courthouse and built the Sheriff’s House and Jail (cost of $17,000). The Sheriff and his family resided in the east half of the building, and the jail was in the back. The Sheriff’s wife was expected to cook meals for the prisoners. In 1912 a building was added to connect the Jail and Courthouse allowing prisoners to be transferred into courtrooms.
In 1955 the County purchased Central School from the Woodstock School District for $85,000. It was located one block south of the courthouse at 121 West Calhoun Street and this became the Courthouse Annex to meet the need for additional office space, court facilities and a County Board room. Once the courthouse moved off the Woodstock Square, the Courthouse Annex building eventually became Woodstock City Hall.
This third courthouse building served as the McHenry County Courthouse until 1972. After the County moved out, the buildings were nearly torn down to create a parking lot, but were saved from the wrecking ball by private investors. In 1973 the historic courthouse building was listed on the National Historic Registry as a national landmark and is today owned by the City of Woodstock housing event space, shops and restaurants located at 101 N. Johnson Street.
Fourth Courthouse Built on North Side of Woodstock - 1972 to present
In 1969 the McHenry County Board agreed to buy 21 acres north of Woodstock on Route 47 at Ware Road for $105,000. Ground was broken on the project to build a new courthouse and County government building on April 13, 1971. The cost of the project was $3,229,000 and McHenry County’s fourth courthouse opened in 1972.
McHenry County Judges - 1972
McHenry County had six judges at the time the new courthouse opened in 1972, Circuit Judge James H. Cooney, Circuit Judge William J. Gleason, Circuit Judge Charles S. Parker, Associate Judge Leonard J. Brody, Associate Judge Thomas Baker, Associate Judge Richard C. Kelly. Other officials also moving from the Woodstock Square to the new building were Circuit Clerk Margaret O’Neil, State’s Attorney William J. Cowlin, Sheriff Arthur Tyrrell and Public Defender Edward J. Downs.
Expansion & Remodel of Courthouse - 1992
In 1990 the County awarded contracts worth $39,025,000 to remodel and substantially expand the Government Center, build a new correctional facility and purchase additional acreage on the north side of Ware Road for future expansion.
The new addition opened in 1992, with the remodeled and expanded McHenry County Government Center and Courthouse being dedicated on October 15, 1992.
Courthouse Renamed to Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center - 2019
On September 19, 2019, the McHenry County Courthouse was renamed the Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center in honor of Circuit Judge Michael Sullivan. Judge Sullivan was elected Chief Judge when the 22nd Judicial Circuit was first created in December 2006 (splitting from Lake County and the 19th Judicial Circuit), a position he held until his retirement in December 2018. He served as a judge for 42 years, serving on the Illinois Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission, ushering in an era of technological advancements to the Courts, and overseeing the creation of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Mental Health Court, Drug Court, and Domestic Violence Court.
History of Jury Service in McHenry County
Illinois passed a limited women’s suffrage law in 1913, which was then rendered moot by the passage of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, giving women the right to vote in all elections. In Illinois, the right to vote, which is one of several requirements for jury service, did not necessarily mean women could serve on juries.
In 1924, Hannah Fyfe was called for jury duty in Cook County, but her name was eliminated because she did not “possess the necessary legal qualifications for jury duty, in that she was a woman.” Fyfe claimed that because she was a legal voter in addition to all other qualifications, she had a right to serve on a jury. She petitioned for a writ of mandamus against the Cook County jury commissioners, and the Cook County Circuit Court agreed with Fyfe. The commissioners appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court, and Fyfe was represented by Elizabeth Perry, a Chicago attorney. The Supreme Court reversed the decision because the laws that governed jury pools comprised of electors referred only to men, and Illinois has passed no laws to update the definition of “elector” (People ex rel. Fyfe v. Barnett et al., 319 Ill. 403 (1926)).
It took the General Assembly 11 years to pass a new law to allow women to serve on juries in 1937. Even after the new law was passed, Cook County refused to implement it for many years. The battle for women to serve on juries was a long process in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. It took at least three test cases that hinged on a narrow, then broad definition of “men” before women were accorded equal access to the jury box.
McHenry County was much more progressive that some areas of the state, with the first jury in McHenry County which included women being seated on March 17, 1931. It was County Court case number 3261, Lanan vs. Barber, presided by over Judge Charles T. Allen.
First Jury to Include Women in McHenry County - 1931
First Female McHenry County Judge - 1981
Susan F. Hutchinson was the first woman to serve as a judge in McHenry County. Judge Hutchinson served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in McHenry County from 1977 to 1981. She was appointed an Associate Judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit in 1981, assigned to McHenry County. She was later elected a Circuit Judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit. She remained on the bench in McHenry County until she was elected as an Appellate Court Justice in the Illinois Appellate Court, Second District in November 1994. Justice Hutchinson currently serves on the Second District Appellate Court in Elgin.
Creation of the 22nd Judicial Circuit
McHenry County was a part of the same Judicial Circuit with Lake County for more than 150 years. From 1964, with the passing of a new Judicial Article to the 1870 constitution, which created our current unified court system, until 2006, Lake and McHenry Counties made up the 19th Judicial Circuit. On December 4, 2006, McHenry County became the 22nd Judicial Circuit, one of only five single county circuits at the time. Judge Michael J. Sullivan was elected the first Chief Judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit.
The McHenry County judges serving at the creation of the new 22nd Judicial Circuit were: (front row) Judge Maureen P. McIntyre, Judge Charles P. Weech, Chief Judge Michael J. Sullivan, Judge Sharon L. Prather, Judge Michael T. Caldwell, (back row) Judge Michael W. Feetterer, Judge John D. Bolger, Judge Robert A. Wilbrandt, Judge Michael J. Chmiel, Judge Joseph P. Condon, Judge Suzanne C. Mangiamele, Judge Gerald M. Zopp, Judge Gordon E. Graham. Clerk of the Circuit Court at the creation of the 22nd Circuit was Vernon W. Kays, Jr.