Cook County is ending livestreaming of court proceedings, citing abuses

Cook County is ending the livestreaming of court proceedings on YouTube, saying abuse of the service outweighed the convenience and other advantages.

The county began livestreaming all proceedings in 2020 when many court employees began working remotely because of the pandemic. The service spared friends and relatives from having to show up at the courthouse to view proceedings.

The county ended remote work early last month but continued to livestream hearings. That will end on July 17. All courtrooms will remain open to the public.

A statement from the chief judge’s office said livestreaming had been abused by “rogue actors” but gave no details.

“While ensuring the health and safety of court personnel, litigants and the public at large ... livestreaming created unintended consequences for the court by enabling rogue actors with malicious intent to disrupt court proceedings and victimize court participants,” the statement said. 

It also allowed people to record the proceedings, the statement added, creating a “permanent electronic record in the public domain that negatively impacts the lives of those accused of crimes who were not convicted or whose charges were ultimately expunged from public records.”