Participating courts
Four FCEP court sites engaged in assessing and strengthening their response to domestic violence in custody cases: Cook County, Illinois (Chicago), the State of Delaware (all three counties), Hennepin County, Minnesota (Minneapolis), and Multnomah County, Oregon (Portland). Below, you can find more information about each site’s work as a FCEP court.
Cook County, Illinois
The Circuit Court of Cook County is one of the largest unified court systems in the country. The Domestic Violence Division oversees five criminal courtrooms and three civil Order for Protection Courtrooms. The Domestic Violence Division also oversees one courthouse in each of the six suburban courthouses (totaling 14).
State of Delaware
Delaware’s Family Court is a statewide, unified Court with a courthouse located in each of Delaware’s three counties. The Court comprises seventeen judges, including a Chief Judge who is the administrative and executive officer for the Court, and sixteen commissioners. The Court has broad jurisdiction, including jurisdiction over protection orders, misdemeanor crimes, custody, visitation, and divorce.
Hennepin County, Minnesota
The Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota ("the District") serves Hennepin County, the State's largest county, including Minneapolis and 44 surrounding suburbs. The District is divided into several court divisions including a distinct Family Court with nine judges, six referees and five child support magistrates. Family Court handles dissolution, domestic abuse, custody and parenting time, child support, contempt, and paternity proceedings.
Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County has a multi-decade history (since mid-1980s) of community collaboration, in which Court has a leadership role. MCFC is an extremely busy bench with 14 judges who hear numerous assigned family, criminal DV, and juvenile dockets that rotate and a “One Judge, One Family” orientation that concentrates legal matters for a family with a particular judicial officer.