Cook County State's Attorney

State's Attorney of Cook County
File:Eileen O’Neill Burke 2025.jpg 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. 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.

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.

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.

List of Cook County State's Attorneys

State's attorney		Term in office	Party	Notes
	Patrick Ballingall	1845–1849
	Daniel McElroy	1849–1857
	Carlos Haven	1857–1863	Died in office
	Joseph Knox	1863–1864
File:Charles H. Reed (3x4).jpg	Charles H. Reed	1864–1876
File:Luther L. Mills.png	Luther L. Mills	1876–1884	Republican
File:Julius S. Grinnell (1) (3x4a).png	Julius Grinnell	1884–1888
File:Joel Longnecker Portrait.png	Joel M. Longnecker	1888–1892	Republican
File:JJ Kern Portrait.png	Jacob J. Kern	1892–1896	Democratic
File:C.S. Deneen LCCN2014716647 (cropped).jpg	Charles S. Deneen	1896–1904	Republican
	John J. Healy	1904–1908	Republican
File:John E. W. Wayman 290857600 (1).png	John E. W. Wayman	1908–1912	Republican
File:Maclay Hoyne (b).jpg	Maclay Hoyne	1912–1920	Democratic
File:Robert E. Crowe (2) (3x4a).jpg	Robert E. Crowe	1920–1928	Republican
	John A. Swanson	1928–1932	Republican
File:Thomas J. Courtney (1).jpg	Thomas J. Courtney	1932–1944	Democratic
	William J. Tuohy	1944–1947	Democratic
File:Richard B Austin (3x4 a).jpg	Richard B. Austin	1947–1948 (acting)
	John S. Boyle	1948–1952	Democratic
	John Gutknecht	1952–1956
File:Ben Adamowski circa 1939 (3x4).jpg	Ben Adamowski	1956–1960	Republican
File:Judge Daniel P. Ward.png	Daniel P. Ward	1960–1966	Democratic
File:Judge John J. Stamos.png	John J. Stamos	1966–1968
	Edward Hanrahan	1968–1972	Democratic
	Bernard Carey	1972–1980	Republican
File:Richard M. Daley (4655925743 aacdba6297 n) (cropped).jpg	Richard M. Daley	1980–1989	Democratic	Elected in 1980, 1984, and 1988; resigned upon winning the 1989 Chicago mayoral special election.
File:Cecil A. Partee circa 1976.jpg	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. 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.
File:Anita Alvarez 2008.jpg	Anita Alvarez	December 1, 2008 – December 1, 2016	Democratic	Elected in 2008 and 2012. Lost re-election in 2016.
File:(2020-06-04) Kim Foxx (cropped).jpg	Kim Foxx	December 1, 2016 – December 1, 2024	Democratic	Elected in 2016 and 2020. Did not seek re-election in 2024.
File:Eileen O’Neill Burke 2025.jpg	Eileen O'Neill Burke	December 1, 2024 – present	Democratic	Elected in 2024.

See also

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

External links

• Official website