History of the McHenry County Courts
History of McHenry County Courthouse
First Courthouse Located in McHenry - 1838 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 1838 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 Courthouse Located on Woodstock Square - 1844 to 1857
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 for a cost of $275 and stood a little south of the center of the “Courthouse Square” in Centerville. 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) on September 23, 1844. The courtroom was used for everything from political meetings to religious services, social occasions, and school classes.
After the County moved out of the small wooden building, it was left vacant and the citizens of Woodstock complained that it was, “an unsightly nuisance.” To no one’s surprise, McHenry County’s second courthouse burned to the ground on July 4, 1858. There are no known photographs of the second courthouse, since it was destroyed before cameras became widely available, but below is a depiction of the building by local artist Jim Pearson courtesy of the Woodstock Public Library.
Third Courthouse Built on Woodstock Square - 1857 - 1972
In 1855, after efforts to move the county seat to Crystal Lake failed, county officials voted to build a new brick 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 (where the second courthouse stood), which today is the Woodstock Square city park.
The new courthouse (McHenry County’s third) officially opened in fall of 1857, but the building was completed in February of 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 new jail had a capacity of 24 inmates in 12 cells. 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.
The third courthouse served as the McHenry County Courthouse until 1972. After the County moved out, the Courthouse Annex building eventually became Woodstock City Hall. The Courthouse and Jail 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, after futile efforts to locate the courthouse west of Woodstock (Kishwaukee Road and Route 14 bypass), at the downtown Annex site (Calhoun Street), and east of Woodstock (county fairgrounds), 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.
McHenry County’s 4th Courthouse opened at 2200 North Seminary Avenue in 1972. The first county officials moved into the building November 17, 1972. At this time, Lake and McHenry County made up the 19th Judicial Circuit. The 19th Circuit in 1972 ranked third in the state in total population and second in total case load.
New McHenry County Courthouse Open House Brochure 09-15-1972
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 Expansion Dedication Ceremony Program – 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 the first Chief Judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit when it 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 in McHenry County for 42 years. He demonstrated his long-term commitment to improving access to the courts for low and moderate-income Illinois residents, as a founding member and leader of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. Locally he ushered in an era of technological advancements to the Courts, and oversaw the creation of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Mental Health Court, Drug Court, and Domestic Violence Court.
McHenry County Branch Courts
Until the final branch court closed in McHenry at the end of 2014, the McHenry County Circuit Court held branch court in the cities of Crystal Lake and McHenry for many years. The Woodstock Courthouse was considered Branch I, followed by the Crystal Lake Branch Court being referred to as Branch II, and McHenry Branch Court was Branch III.
There were no court offices located in the branch courts. A judge, clerk and court bailiff would travel from Woodstock to branch court with the case files in the morning, then return to the Woodstock Courthouse after court with the paperwork and collected fine money.
Crystal Lake Branch Court (Branch II)
Crystal Lake Branch Court was held at 121 N. Main Street in downtown Crystal Lake, during the time this building served as Crystal Lake’s City Hall. Branch Court was held once a week on the second floor and included all traffic tickets and ordinance violations issued by the City of Crystal Lake and some surrounding municipalities.
Crystal Lake Branch Court closed in the late 1980’s when it was decided the building was no longer suitable to hold court.
McHenry Branch Court (Branch III)
Branch Court was also held in the city of McHenry on most Wednesdays, first at 1111 N. Green Street, when McHenry City Hall was located in that building. Traffic tickets and ordinance violations written by the City of McHenry and some of the surrounding municipalities were heard in the McHenry Branch Court.
When McHenry’s City Hall moved to 333 S. Green Street, Branch Court moved along with it. Branch Court was held in the McHenry City Council Chambers until it finally closed December 29, 2014, due to a county-wide decrease in the number of traffic tickets being written and security concerns.
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, also the first female Circuit Judge to be elected in McHenry County.
Judge Hutchinson 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.
McHenry County Judges (1964 to present)
Judge William M. Carroll (1964 – 1972)
Judge James H. Cooney (1964 – 1980)
Judge Charles P. Parker (1964 – 1978)
Judge Leonard Brody (1971 – 1984)
Judge William J. Gleason (1972 – 1976)
Judge Richard C. Kelly (1972 – 1974)
Judge Thomas F. Baker (1972 – 1974, 1996 – 2004)
Judge Roland A. Herrmann (1975 – 1992)
Judge Conrad F. Floeter (1975 – 1996)
Judge Michael J. Sullivan (1976 – 2018)
Judge Henry L. Cowlin (1978 – 1996)
Judge Haskell M. Pitluck (1978 – 2000)
Judge Susan F. Hutchinson (1981 – 1994) *presently 2nd District Appellate Court
Judge Ward S. Arnold (1984 – 2004)
Judge Thomas A. Schermerhorn (1985 – 2002)
Judge James C. Franz (1986 – 1998)
Judge Frank Rhode, Jr. (1992 – 1997)
Judge Sharon L. Prather (1992 – 2019)
Judge Gerald M. Zopp, Jr. (1995 -2012)
Judge Maureen P. McIntyre (1996 – 2016)
Judge Gordon E. Graham (1996 – 2015)
Judge Michael T. Caldwell (1997 – 2017)
Judge Joseph P. Condon (1998 – 2012)
Judge John D. Bolger (1998 – 2018)
Judge Charles P. Weech (2001 – 2017)
Judge Suzanne C. Mangiamele (2003 – present)
Judge Michael W. Feetterer (2004 – present)
Judge Michael J. Chmiel (2004 – present)
Judge Robert A. Wilbrandt (2006 – 2022)
Judge James S. Cowlin (2007 – 2024)
Judge Robert K. Beaderstadt (2007 – 2015)
Judge Thomas A. Meyer (2007 – 2023)
Judge Mark R. Gerhardt (2011 – present)
Judge Joel D. Berg (2011 – present)
Judge Kevin G. Costello (2011 – present)
Judge Mary H. Nader (2013 – present)
Judge Christopher M. Harmon (2013 – present)
Judge Michael E. Coppedge (2015 – 2023)
Judge Jeffrey L. Hirsch (2015 – present)
Judge Tiffany E. Davis (2017 – present)
Judge Mark R. Facchini (2017 – present)
Judge David R. Gervais (2018 – present)
Judge Justin M. Hansen (2019 – present)
Judge Jennifer L. Johnson (2019 – present)
Judge Robert J. Zalud (2019 – present)
Judge Cynthia D. Lamb (2023 – present)
Judge Jeffrey J. Altman (2023 – present)
Judge Carl E. Metz II (2024 – present)
Judge Michael P. Zasadil (2024 – present)
McHenry County Circuit Court Clerks (1964 to present)
Margaret O’Neil (1964 – 1978)
Vernon W. Kays, Jr. (1979 – 2008)
Katherine M. Keefe (2008 – present)
22nd Circuit Chief Judges
2006 – 2018 Judge Michael J. Sullivan
2018 – 2022 Judge James S. Cowlin
2022 – 2024 Judge Michael J. Chmiel
2024 – present Judge Michael W. Feetterer
McHenry County Judges (1837 to 1964)
Judge John Pearson (1837 – 1840)
Judge Theophilus Smith (1841 – 1843)
Judge Richard M. Young (1843 – 1847)
Judge Jesse B. Thomas, Jr. (1847 – 1848)
Judge Hugh Henderson (1848 – 1851)
Judge Isaac G. Wilson (maybe Williams?) (1851 – 1861)
Judge Allen C. Fuller (1861 – 1862)
Judge Theodore D. Murphy (1862 – 1879) **Woodstock
Judge Hiram H. Cody (1874 – 1879)
Judge Clark W. Upton (1877 – 1897)
Judge Isaac G. Wilson (1879 – 1891)
Judge Charles Kellum (1879 – 1897)
Judge Henry B. Willis (1891 – 1897)
Judge John C. Garver (1897 – 1901)
Judge Charles E. Fuller (1897 – 1902)
Judge Charles H. Donnelly (1897 – 1920) **Woodstock
Judge Arthur H. Frost (1902 – 1920)
Judge Robert W. Wright (1903 – 1915)
Judge Charles Whitney (1911 – 1915)
Judge Claire C. Edwards (1915 – 1930)
Judge Robert K. Welsh (1917 – 1923)
Judge Charles Barnes (1918 – 1936) **Woodstock
Judge Edward D. Shurtleff (1921 – 1936) **Marengo
Judge Earl D. Reynolds (1923 – 1927)
Judge Arthur E. Fisher (1927 – 1940)
Judge Ralph J. Dady (1930 – 1951)
Judge William L. Pierce (1936 – 1946)
Judge Thomas E. Gill (1940 – 1941)
Judge William R. Dusher (1941 – 1957)
Judge William M. Carroll (1946 – 1972) **Woodstock
Judge Bernard M. Decker (1951 – 1962)
Judge Albert S. O’Sullivan (1951 – 1957)
Judge Sidney H. Block (1957 – 1961)
Judge Thomas J. Moran (1961 – 1964)
History of the Illinois Court System
By Act of Legislature of March 28, 1873, judicial districts were organized in accordance with the 1870 Constitution. 26 circuits were formed, exclusive of Cook County, which formed its own circuit. The circuits were to be as equal as possible in population, economy and territory, and consist of contiguous counties. Lake and McHenry Counties, along with Boone and DeKalb Counties, constituted the Second Judicial Circuit. Theodore D. Murphy of McHenry County was elected as the Circuit Judge. Circuit Court judges were elected within their circuit for a 6-year term. At least 2 terms of court were required to be held each year in each county.
An Act of the Legislature of June 2, 1877 again changed the judicial circuits of the state. The existing 26 circuits were reduced to 13. The Second Circuit containing Lake, McHenry, Boone and DeKalb Counties, was united with the 4th Circuit containing Kane, DuPage and Kendall Counties, to form the new 12th Circuit.
Another change in the make-up of the judicial circuits occurred by an Act of April 23, 1897, which associated Lake and McHenry Counties with Winnebago and Boone Counties to form the Seventeenth Circuit.
The constitution, again, provided for County Courts in each county. 1 judge was to be elected to that position for a 4-year term, however, where it was expedient to do so the General Assembly could create a district of 2 or more counties under the jurisdiction of 1 judge. This court was to be the county court of record.
The constitution of 1870 and subsequent legislation in 1877 and 1881 established Probate Courts in counties where the population was over 70,000. Judges of these courts had 4-year terms. In 1903 an act of the General Assembly provided that the probate judges and county judges may hold court for each other and perform each other’s duties. The constitution also provided for the continuation of Police Magistrates and Justices of the Peace.
Dissatisfaction with the Justices of Peace and Police Magistrate system became so serious that a 1904 amendment to the constitution abolished Justices of Peace, Police Magistrates and Constables in the City of Chicago and limited the jurisdiction of all other Justices of the Peace, Magistrates and Constables in Cook County to the area outside the City of Chicago. It also permitted the establishment of a Municipal Court in Chicago.
Many of these specialized courts had overlapping jurisdiction causing organizational and administrative problems. There was no real administrative authority to unify, coordinate and supervise the various courts and judges. A unified court system was needed.
It was during these years of organizational growth and confusion, that in 1957 the Legislature detached Lake and McHenry Counties from the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit and created the Nineteenth, to be comprised of only these 2 counties. McHenry County remained with Lake County as part of the 19th Judicial Circuit until 2006.
Under the Judicial Article of 1964 the judicial power of Illinois was vested in a Supreme Court, and Appellate Court and Circuit Courts. On the trial court level all courts other than the Circuit Courts were abolished and all their jurisdiction, judicial functions, powers and duties were transferred to the respective Circuit Courts.
The Supreme Court was composed of 7 judges, elected from 5 judicial districts. Cook County was the First Judicial District. The remainder of the state was divided into 4 Supreme and Appellate Districts. 3 Supreme Court judges were elected in the First Judicial District. One was elected from each of the other judicial districts. Judges of the Supreme Court were elected for 10-year terms. The Supreme Court exercised original jurisdiction in cases relating to revenue, mandamus, prohibition and habeas corpus. It had appellate jurisdiction in all other matters. Appeals would go from the Circuit Court directly to the Supreme Court in cases involving revenue, a question arising under the federal or state constitutions, habeas corpus or appeal by the defendant from sentence in capital cases.
The Appellate Court was organized in the same five judicial districts as the Supreme Court. It consisted of 24 judges, 12 in the First District (Cook County), and 3 in each of the other four districts. Appellate Court judges are elected for 10-year terms.
The Article provided that the state should be divided into judicial circuits of one or more contiguous counties. In 1964 there were 21 such multi-county circuits. Cook and DuPage counties were single county circuits until 1985 when Will County also became a single county circuit, As of 2022 there were 24 Judicial Circuits outside Cook County, with 6 of those Circuits being single county circuits, DuPage, Will, Lake, McHenry, Kane and St. Clair.
The Judicial Article of 1964 introduced important innovations in the Illinois Judicial System. Under Section 11 of the Article, judges, once elected, were permitted to run for reelection not as members of a political party or against a candidate, but on their own record. The electorate voted yes or no on retention of the individual judge, and the judge had to receive a majority to be retained. Section 10, however, provided for the initial selection of judges by party ballot. Any candidate who ran for an elective judicial office for the first time was required to be “nominated by party convention or primary and elected at general elections…”
Section 16 provided that judges could not “engage in the practice of law or hold any office or position of profit under the United States or this state or any other municipal corporation or political party”. Section 15 also stated that no person could be eligible for the office of judge unless he was a citizen and licensed attorney at law of this state and a resident of judicial district, circuit, county, or unit from which elected. This was a clear attempt to establish a judiciary as a full-time profession in Illinois, and to raise its efficiency, objectivity, and effectiveness.
Illinois has the distinct advantage of not only having one of the first truly unified court systems in the nation, but also having had the opportunity in the 1970 Constitution of refining and improving that system after a trial period. The 1964 Judicial Article established a model court system of simplicity, efficiency, and flexibility. After 7 years of scrutiny and analysis this successful system was modified to eliminate some of the minor flaws. Illinois now has a judicial system to meet the needs of its citizens, a system built on tradition but designed with flexibility to accommodate future needs as well.
The Judicial Article of the Illinois Constitution of 1970 (Article VI) provides for a unified, 3-tiered judiciary, comprising of the Circuit Courts, the Appellate Courts, and the highest Court in the State, the Illinois Supreme Court.
History of McHenry County Judicial Circuits
Circuit | Year Began | Counties in Circuit | Illinois Constitution |
7th Circuit | 1837 | Cook, Will, McHenry, Kane, LaSalle, Iroquois | 1st (1818-1848) |
7th Circuit | 1839 | Cook, Will, Iroquois, McHenry, DuPage | |
7th Circuit | 1841 | Cook, Will, Iroquois, DuPage, Grundy, McHenry, Lake | |
7th Circuit | 1847 | Cook, Will, Iroquois, DuPage, McHenry, Lake, Winnebago, Boone | |
11th Circuit | 1848 | Iroquois, Will, DuPage, McHenry, Boone, Winnebago | 2nd (1848-1870) |
13th Circuit | 1851 | Kane, McHenry, Boone, DeKalb | 3rd (1870-1970) |
2nd Circuit | 1873 | Lake, McHenry, Boone, DeKalb | |
12th Circuit | 1877 | Boone, DeKalb, McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Kendall | |
17th Circuit | 1897 | Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Lake | |
19th Circuit | 1957 | McHenry, Lake | 4th (1970-present) |
22nd Circuit | 2006 | McHenry |