Kane County Zoom Court: Joining, Conduct, and Exhibits

You can appear at most Kane County hearings through Zoom court by looking up your assigned courtroom on the 16th Judicial Circuit’s online directory, clicking that courtroom’s Zoom link at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time, and setting your display name to your full legal name and case number so the court will admit you from the virtual waiting room.¹

Which Cases Can Be Heard Remotely

Kane County’s Zoom directory lists courtrooms across the Civil, Family, Felony, Juvenile, and Misdemeanor/Traffic divisions, with a separate link for each courtroom.¹ Small Claims in Courtroom 120 is on the list, several Family courtrooms are on it, and routine matters like status dates are commonly handled by video.

The judge has the last word. Under Local Rule 1.17, a judge can require you to appear in person if the nature of the hearing, the conduct of the parties, or the need for attorneys and clients to negotiate makes that appropriate. Jury trials of every case type are excluded from remote proceedings entirely.² Read your court notice carefully. Showing up on Zoom when the judge expected you in the building can cause real problems for your case.

Find Your Court Date and Courtroom First

Two pieces of information have to be in hand before you connect: your court date and your courtroom number. KaneCourt.org has a “Find My Court Date” search where you enter your last name and case number to see any appearances scheduled within the next 30 days.³ For older records, the Circuit Clerk’s online portal gives broader access.

Schedules shift. The court recommends checking daily or subscribing to notifications so a rescheduled hearing doesn’t catch you off guard.³

How to Join the Zoom Session

Install the Zoom app on your computer, phone, or tablet in advance. On the day of your hearing, open a web browser, go to KaneCourt.org, and click “Join Zoom Court.”² Find your courtroom number or judge’s name, click “Join Hearing,” then “Join With Zoom.” The browser hands you off to the Zoom app.

Every courtroom has its own Meeting ID and password shown on the directory. Clicking the link handles the login for you, but write those numbers down as a backup. Connect at least 15 minutes early. Arriving late means longer waits in the virtual waiting room while the court works through cases that were ready on time.⁴

Set Your Display Name Correctly

Your Zoom display name is how the court identifies you in the waiting room. The Circuit Clerk requires it to be your full legal name as it appears in your case, along with your case number. Skip that step and you may not be let in.⁴ A default name like “iPhone123” gets denied. To rename yourself, click Participants, find your name, and select Rename before you reach the waiting room.

Joining by Phone

No webcam, or unreliable internet? You can join by audio only. The dial-in number, Meeting ID, and password are on the KaneCourt.org directory for each courtroom.² Follow the prompts to enter the Meeting ID and password. You join muted. Press *6 to unmute when the judge calls your case, then say your name clearly so the record reflects who is speaking. The host will replace your phone number on screen with your name.

What Happens in the Waiting Room

After you connect, Zoom holds you in a waiting room. You will not see or hear the courtroom while you wait.⁴ When the court is ready for your case, you will be admitted. A prompt asks you to join with computer or internet audio; accept it so you can hear the judge and speak.

If the session hasn’t started when you first connect, stay put. You will be moved into the waiting room automatically once it opens.⁴ Dropping and rejoining wastes time and risks missing your call. Dockets often contain dozens of cases in a single block. When you’re admitted, mute yourself with the microphone icon and wait for the judge to address you.

Conduct and the Recording Ban

Everything that applies in a physical courtroom applies on Zoom. Dress the way you would in the building, pick a quiet spot with a plain background, and stay muted until the judge calls on you.

Recording is where people get into serious trouble. Local Rule 1.17 prohibits you from recording, taking screenshots, or otherwise capturing any image of a remote session without the court’s permission.² Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44 says the same statewide: no photographic recording, digital capture, or other recording of a remote proceeding unless the court itself is doing the recording or an extended media coverage order is in place.⁵ Violations can be treated as contempt. Don’t screen-record for your own files, and don’t let anyone else point a phone camera at your screen.

Submitting Exhibits Before the Hearing

Documents you want the judge to see get filed through the statewide eFileIL system before your hearing, not held up to your webcam.⁶ Supporting documents for a petition, motion, or answer are combined into a single PDF and filed with the underlying pleading. If the PDF is too large, you can split it into parts, and each part needs a cover sheet with your case number, the parties’ names, and the document title.

For questions about eFiling or a sample cover sheet, email the Circuit Clerk at CICOfficeOperations@KaneCountyIL.gov.⁶ File exhibits well ahead of your date. Judges do not want to hear mid-hearing that you assumed you could email something to the courtroom.

Interpreters and ADA Accommodations

If a disability affects your ability to participate remotely, the 16th Judicial Circuit provides accommodations including sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, video phone access, and CART captions. You can request accommodations verbally or in writing, and the court also has an online request form.⁷

Contact the Court Disability Coordinator, Christy DeChristopher, as early as you can:

Phone: 630-406-7457
Email: dechristopherchristy@16thcircuit.illinoiscourts.gov
Mail: Kane County Judicial Center, 37W777 Route 38, St. Charles, IL 60175

Early requests give the court time to arrange the right interpreter or technology. Waiting until the morning of your hearing limits what they can do.⁷

Help If You Don’t Have a Device

The Kane County Law Library helps people with Zoom court proceedings. You can go in person or call 630-406-7126 for guidance.¹ That’s a practical fix if you don’t own a webcam-equipped device or you want someone to walk you through the software before your first appearance.

1
Kane County, Illinois. Zoom Court Directory
2
16th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois. 16th Judicial Circuit Local Rule 1.17 – Remote Appearances and Procedures
3
Kane County, Illinois. Find My Court Date
4
Kane County Circuit Clerk. Zoom Instruction and Protocol Sheet – Kane County
5
Supreme Court of the State of Illinois. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44 – Photography and Video in the Courtroom
6
Kane County Circuit Clerk. eFiling
7
16th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois. Accessing Court