These courts played crucial roles in the local judicial system, addressing both civil and criminal matters within the city.
[1] The court was part of an effort to create a more organized and efficient judicial system for the rapidly growing city.
[1] In 1904, an amendment to the Illinois Constitution empowered the Illinois General Assembly to "pass any law (local, special or general) providing a scheme or charter of local municipal government for the territory now or hereafter embraced within the limits of the city of Chicago," and stated that, "in case the General Assembly shall create municipal courts in the city of Chicago, it may abolish the offices of justices of the peace, police magistrates, and constables in and for the territory within said city.”[2] Soon after, an association known as the Chicago Charter Convention elected a committee to draft and push the passage of an act establishing municipal courts in the City of Chicago.
[2] A Municipal Court Act was passed by the General Assembly and was signed by Governor Charles S. Deneen on May 18, 1905.
It aimed to provide a more efficient and organized system for handling legal matters in a rapidly growing urban area.