PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chief Judge Evans names Donald W. Russell as new Acting Jury Administrator

Released On 08/18/2022

Donald W. Russell, who has served as Jury Room Supervisor at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse for 15 years, has been appointed Acting Jury Administrator for the Circuit Court of Cook County, effective September 1, 2022, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said.

Russell has been an employee of the Office of the Chief Judge for almost 25 years, starting in 1998 with the Mandatory Arbitration Program. He joined Jury Administration in 2000, and was promoted to Jury Room Supervisor at the Criminal Courthouse in 2007. He will replace Anthony Barone, who is retiring at the end of August.

The Jury Administrator is responsible for budgeting for the department, coordinating jury operations in seven court locations, and managing staff responsible for summoning potential jurors and facilitating the assignment of jurors to courtrooms.

“I look forward to the challenge of serving as Acting Jury Administrator, and I want to thank Anthony Barone for his leadership throughout the years,” Russell said.

Barone, who became the court’s first Jury Administrator in July of 1998, started with the Office of the Chief Judge in 1990, working on computer systems.

“I enjoyed my time tremendously with the Chief Judge’s office,” Barone said. “I’ve enjoyed the challenges this job has brought. It’s been the most rewarding time of my life.”

He said restarting jury trials in the spring of 2021 after they were temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a “huge challenge” and he was glad to be able to help the courts manage it.

Ronna Fernandez will replace Russell as Acting Jury Room Supervisor at the Criminal Courthouse.

Chief Judge Evans expressed his gratitude for Barone’s many years of service, and his confidence in Russell’s ability to assume responsibility for Jury Administration for all court locations.

“Tony has a tremendous amount of experience and has been a great asset to us,” Judge Evans said. “We wish him well in all of his future endeavors.”

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