Cook County State's Attorney

State's Attorney of Cook County
Incumbent Eileen O'Neill Burke since December 1, 2024
Term length	4 years
Salary	$198,073 (2020)
Website	Office of the 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. ^[1] 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. ^[1]

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. ^[2]

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

List of Cook County State's Attorneys

State's attorney		Term in office	Party	Notes
	Patrick Ballingall	1845–1849		[3]
	Daniel McElroy	1849–1857		[3]
	Carlos Haven	1857–1863	Died in office	[3] [4]
	Joseph Knox	1863–1864		[3] [4]
	Charles H. Reed	1864–1876		[4]
	Luther L. Mills	1876–1884	Republican	[4]
	Julius Grinnell	1884–1888		[4]
	Joel M. Longnecker	1888–1892	Republican	[4] [5] [6]
	Jacob J. Kern	1892–1896	Democratic	[6]
	Charles S. Deneen	1896–1904	Republican	[6]
	John J. Healy	1904–1908	Republican	[6]
	John E. W. Wayman	1908–1912	Republican	[6]
	Maclay Hoyne	1912–1920	Democratic	[7] [8]
	Robert E. Crowe	1920–1928	Republican	[9]
	John A. Swanson	1928–1932	Republican
	Thomas J. Courtney	1932–1944	Democratic
	William J. Tuohy	1944–1947	Democratic	[10] [11]
	Richard B. Austin	1947–1948 (acting)		[12]
	John S. Boyle	1948–1952	Democratic
	John Gutknecht	1952–1956		[13]
	Ben Adamowski	1956–1960	Republican
	Daniel P. Ward	1960–1966	Democratic
	John J. Stamos	1966–1968
	Edward Hanrahan	1968–1972	Democratic
	Bernard Carey	1972–1980	Republican
	Richard M. Daley	1980–1989	Democratic	Elected in 1980, 1984, and 1988; resigned upon winning the 1989 Chicago mayoral special election.
	Cecil A. Partee	1989–1990	Democratic	Appointed to replace Richard Daley, and lost the 1990 special election.
	Jack O'Malley	1990–1996	Republican	Elected in 1990 (special election) and 1992. [14] Lost re-election in 1996.
	Richard A. " Dick" Devine	December 1, 1996 – December 1, 2008	Democratic	Elected in 1996, 2000, and 2004. Did not seek re-election in 2008.
	Anita Alvarez	December 1, 2008 – December 1, 2016	Democratic	Elected in 2008 and 2012. Lost re-election in 2016.
	Kim Foxx	December 1, 2016 – December 1, 2024	Democratic	Elected in 2016 and 2020. Did not seek re-election in 2024.
	Eileen O'Neill Burke [15]	December 1, 2024 – present [16]	Democratic	Elected in 2024.

Election results

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 [17]	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 [17]	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 [17]	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 [18]	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 [19]	Maclay Hoyne	Democratic	236,384 (44.57%)	Harry B. Miller	Republican	191,456 (36.10%)	William A. Cunnea	Socialist	102,579 (19.34%)
1920 [18]	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 ... 1968	[ data missing ]
1972 [20] [21]	Bernard Carey	Republican		Edward Hanrahan	Democratic
1976 [21]	Bernard Carey	Republican		Edward J. Egan	Democratic
1980 [22]	Richard M. Daley	Democratic	1,058,529 (50.39%)	Bernard Carey	Republican	1,042,287 (49.61%)
1984 [23]	Richard M. Daley	Democratic	1,418,775 (65.98%)	Richard J. Brzeczek	Republican	731,634 (34.02%)
1988 [24]	Richard M. Daley	Democratic	1,303,906 (66.70%)	Terrance W. Gainer	Republican	650,942 (33.30%)
1990 [25]	Jack O'Malley	Republican	692,192 (52.96%)	Cecil A. Partee	Democratic	511,424 (39.13%)	Janice H. Robinson	Harold Washington Party	103,353 (7.91%)
1992 [26]	Jack O'Malley	Republican	1,272,939 (61.27%)	Patrick J. O'Connor	Democratic	804,528 (38.73%)
1996 [27]	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%)	Lawrence C. Redman Jr.	Harold Washington Party	26,131 (1.55%)
2000 [28] [29]	Richard A. Devine	Democratic	1,337,578 (78.30%)	David P. Gaughan	Republican	370,678 (21.70%)
2004 [30] [31]	Richard A. Devine	Democratic	1,483,280 (79.43%)	Philip Spiwak	Republican	384,082 (20.57%)
2008 [32] [33]	Anita Alvarez	Democratic	1,378,452 (69.90%)	Tony Peraica	Republican	494,611 (25.08%)	Thomas O'Brien	Green	99,101 (5.03%)
2012 [34]	Anita Alvarez	Democratic	1,427,145 (77.05%)	Lori S. Yokoyama	Republican	421,810 (22.77%)
2016 [35]	Kim Foxx	Democratic	1,459,087 (72.06%)	Christopher E.K. Pfannkuche	Republican	565,671 (27.94%)
2020 [36]	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

• Circuit Court of Cook County
• Cook County Sheriff's Office

References

1. "About the Cook County State's Attorney's Office". Cook County State's Attorney. 2024-12-02. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
2. Armentrout, Mitchell (December 2, 2024). ""New Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke vows to lower 'war zone numbers' of Chicago violence"". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
3. "Officers of Cook County" . Chicago Tribune. December 11, 1867. Retrieved 14 February 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. Lindberg, Richard C. (1998). To Serve and Collect: Chicago Politics and Police Corruption from the Lager Beer Riot to the Summerdale Scandal, 1855-1960. SIU Press. p. 332. ISBN   0809322234.
5. Bateman, Newton; Selby, Paul (1905). History of Cook County. Munsell Publishing Company. p. 938.
6. Blue Book of the State of Illinois. Office of the Illinois Secretary of State. 1914. p. 420.
7. "MACLAY HOYNE, 67, DEAD IN CHICAGO; State's Attorney for Cook County 2 Terms, 1912-20 --Won 5,000 Convictions FIRST CITY POST IN 1903 Counsel for Sanitary District, 1927-29--Williams Athlete Was Grandson of Mayor". The New York Times. 2 October 1939. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
8. "[Cook County State's Attorney, Maclay Hoyne, standing on a s". Explore Chicago Collections. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
9. "The Daily News Almanac and Political Register for ..." Chicago Daily News Company. 1920. p. 791. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
10. "Illinois Blue Book, 1947-1948". www.idaillinois.org. 1947. p. 666. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
11. "1963 Circuit Judge William J Tuohy" . Chicago Tribune. 7 March 1963. p. 20. Retrieved August 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. Richard Bevan Austin at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a publication of the Federal Judicial Center .
13. "Illinois Blue Book, 1953-1954". State of Illinois. 1953. p. 697. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
14. Hinton, Rachel (19 March 2020). "Republicans: O'Brien has 'really decent chance' to oust Foxx in November". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
15. Buckley, Madeline (2024-12-02). ""As she is sworn in, State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke decries violence and pledges new detention policy"". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
16. Kaufmann, Justin (2024-12-02). "State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke sworn in, immediately revamps office practices". Axios. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
17. "Chicago Daily News Almanac". Chicago Daily News Company. 1911. p. 511–512. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
18. The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for ... Chicago Daily News Company. 1921. p. 784. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
19. The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for ... Chicago Daily News Company. 1916. p. 598.
20. Kifner, John Kifner (9 November 1972). "Defeat of Hanrahan for Prosecutor Is a Stunning Blow to Daley's Organization (Published 1972)". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
21. Colby, Peter W.; Green, Paul Michael (October 1979). "Patterns of change in suburban voting". Illinois Issues. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
22. Illinois Elections (p. 90) c. 1986. Publishers, Paul Green, David Everson, Peter Colby, and Joan Parker
23. "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1984" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008.
24. "Official Final Results General Election Cook County, Illinois Tuesday, November 8, 1988" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008.
25. "Official Final Results General Election Cook County, Illinois Tuesday, November 6, 1990" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008.
26. "Official Final Results General Election Cook County, Illinois Tuesday, November 3, 1992" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2008.
27. "Official Final Results General Election Cook County, Illinois Tuesday, November 5, 1996" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2008.
28. "Suburban Cook County Results". voterinfonet.com. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2005.
29. "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER, 2000 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
30. "Final Results Summary Report Cook County, Illinois General Election Tuesday, November 2, 2004" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
31. "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2004 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
32. "Official General Election 11/4/2008 Summary Report Cook County Unofficial Results" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
33. "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
34. "Cook County and the City of Chicago Combined Summary Report General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2020.
35. "General Election Cook County and The City of Chicago Tuesday, November 8, 2016 Combined Summary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
36. "Cook County and The City of Chicago General Election November 3, 2020 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.

External links

• Official website