Speedy trial deadlines to be reinstated in Illinois courts

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - State courthouses across Illinois may end social distancing measures and starting Oct. 1 criminal defendants may again invoke their right to a speedy trial.

That’s according to new Illinois Supreme Court orders issued last week that essentially undo rules put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those rules included suspending speedy trial deadlines, or the number of days after which defendants may demand prosecutors bring them to trial or charges is dropped.

The deadlines will again come into play effective Oct. 1, a date Chief Justice Anne Burke said was chosen to give chief circuit court judges time to prepare. Decisions of whether or how to relax social distancing rules will be left up to local courts.