The State of Illinois permits people with qualifying criminal history to ask the court to either expunge or seal the records related to their cases.
The Illinois Courts and Office of the State Appellate Defender have produced a guide for individuals interested in expunging charges from their criminal record.
Here is more information about how to file an expunge or seal a record in Cook County.
Upon an individual filing an expungement with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, the Clerk will deliver the petition to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office (CCSAO) within 10 days.
The CCSAO has 60 days to review and file an objection with the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The CCSAO also shall provide notice of its objection to the Petitioner or Petitioner's attorney.
The Clerk has up to 10 days to provide the CCSAO with the petitions and the CCSAO has 60 days to file a response with the Clerk. The CCSAO, upon filing, will provide notice of the response. The CCSAO provides notice of response through the below table that outlines the status of petitions received and reviewed by the CCSAO.
The CCSAO can decide not to object to the expungement petition or to object. Objections include:
- Public Policy: The expungement does not further public safety.
- Statutory: State law does not allow for the expungement of a charge.
- Drug Drop: A clean drug test was not filed within 30 days of the petition filing for certain cases.
Column Titles
- Case number filed under: The first case number listed on the petition was filed under.
- Filed: Date the petitioner or their attorney filed the petition with the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
- Served: Date the Clerk of the Circuit Court served the CCSAO
- Court Date: The date on which the hearing is set.
- CCSAO Response Date: The date that the Cook County State's Attorney's Office must file its response.
- Objection: Whether or not the CCSAO will object to the petition, and if so, on what grounds they are objecting.
- Relief Requested: Is the petitioner asking for a seal, expungement, or both?
The CCSAO has the right to drop an objection or raise an objection if it receives relevant information on the request up until the petition is heard in court. If the petitioner or their attorney wishes to provide supplementary information before court they may send it to 26thstreetsaoexpungements@cookcountysao.org.