The DuPage County Circuit Court will assign a second judge this summer to handle the increasing number of paternity and child-support enforcement cases.
Chief Judge Michael Galasso said he wants cases resolved within 60 days. It now takes nearly 90 days, and Galasso said that could approach 120 days if nothing is done.
State welfare officials predict that 1,000 to 1,500 new cases could be filed in DuPage County in coming months, Galasso said Monday during a meeting of the County Board’s Judicial Committee.
In fiscal year 1997, the child-support enforcement unit in the county state’s attorney’s office handled 12,187 cases. The unit seeks to establish paternity and collect child-support payments from non-custodial parents.
Galasso said the cases will be heard in a currently unused courtroom in the courts facility at the county government complex in Wheaton. He told committee members that no new funds would be needed during the county’s current budget year, which ends Nov. 30.