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Welcome to the website of the Recorder Compliance Administrator (“RCA”) for the Cook County Recorder of Deeds!  Please find below a chronological listing of key Court filings and updates in this matter with the most recent development on top.

2024 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: 

As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and digital privacy, the Recorder Compliance Administrator is implementing enhanced security measures to protect the personal data of all our citizens. You can find more information the website of Leet Privacy which have a lot of resources on the matter, as well as this Bloomberg Law section.

These measures include the latest encryption technologies and strict access controls to ensure that sensitive information remains confidential and secure. We understand the importance of digital privacy in today's interconnected world, and we are dedicated to safeguarding the trust placed in us by the public. The detailed plan and its implications for public access to court filings will be outlined in our upcoming report, which will be available for review on this website. This initiative reflects our proactive approach in adapting to the evolving digital landscape and underscores our responsibility to uphold the highest standards of data protection and privacy. Stay tuned for further updates on this critical development.

2021 UPDATES 

January 13, 2021 UPDATE:  The RCA filed her Twenty-Fourth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

2020 UPDATES

August 13, 2020 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Twenty-Third Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

July 23, 2020 UPDATE: Interim Report of the Recorder Compliance Administrator to the Court which can be viewed here.

April 27, 2020 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Twenty-Second Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

January 21, 2020 UPDATE:  The RCA filed her Twenty-First Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

2019 UPDATES

November 13, 2019 UPDATE:  The RCA filed her Twentieth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

2018 UPDATES

DECEMBER 24, 2018 UPDATE:  The RCA filed her Nineteenth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

August 31, 2018 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Eighteenth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

February 6, 2018 UPDATE:  The RCA filed her Seventeenth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

2017 UPDATES

December 22, 2017 UPDATE: Amended Recorder Employment Plan can viewed here.

October 5, 2017 UPDATE:  The RCA filed her Sixteenth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

April 21, 2017 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Fifteenth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

February 17, 2017 UPDATE: Judge Schenkier acknowledged Thomas McMahon’s service as the Recorder’s Director of Compliance and appointed the RCA to serve as Interim DOC effective February 24, 2017 pending the hire of a new DOC by the Recorder.  This Docket Entry can be viewed here.

February 9, 2017 UPDATE: The RCA sent letters to Commissioners Bridget Gainer and Larry Suffredin in response to comments made by the Recorder during a recent Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee meeting.  The letter to Commissioner Gainer can be viewed here, and the letter to Commissioner Suffredin can be viewed here.

2016 UPDATES

December 15, 2016 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Fourteenth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

September 27, 2016 UPDATE: Plaintiffs filed their Reply in Support of Motion for Rule to Show Cause which can be viewed here.

September 13, 2016 UPDATES: The Recorder and Defendants Cedric Giles and Edmund Michalowski all filed separate Responses to Plaintiffs’ Motion for Issuance of a Rule to Show Cause.  These Responses and their respective Exhibits may be viewed by clicking on the document titles below:

August 30, 2016 UPDATE: At the request of the Court, the RCA filed a Special Report concerning matters raised by Plaintiffs in their July 29, 2016 Motion for Issuance of a Rule to Show Cause.  The RCA’s Special Report can be viewed here.

August 19, 2016 UPDATE: The Court entered an Agreed Order that amended the Recorder’s Do Not Rehire Without Further Consideration policy.  This Order can be viewed here.

August 15, 2016 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Thirteenth Report to the Court which can be viewed here (Exhibit A can be viewed here).

July 29, 2016 UPDATE: Plaintiffs filed a “Motion for Issuance of a Rule to Show Cause Why Certain Senior Staff in the Cook County Recorder of Deeds’ Office Should Not be Held in Civil Contempt and for Related Relief” which can be viewed here.

June 1, 2016 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Twelfth Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

April 7, 2016 UPDATE: The Court entered an Agreed Order reflecting an agreement reached by Plaintiffs and the Recorder of Deeds concerning the Recorder’s pending Motion to Amend the Exempt List.  This Agreed Order can be viewed here.  Pursuant to this Agreed Order, the Recorder’s Exempt List was amended to include two new Positions: Chief of Human Resources and Special Assistant to the Recorder – Community Affairs.

March 4, 2016 UPDATE:  The RCA filed her Response to the Recorder’s Reply Brief in Support of the Recorder’s Motion to Amend the Exempt List which can be viewed here.  (Exhibits A and B).  The purpose of this Response was to correct certain misleading and/or inaccurate statements made in the Recorder’s Reply Brief.

February 23, 2016 UPDATE:  Plaintiffs’ Counsel filed a Motion for Leave to File Brief in Excess of 15-Pages which can be viewed here. (Plaintiffs attached Plaintiffs’ Response to RCA’s Recommendation as Exhibit A).

February 23, 2016 UPDATE:  The Recorder filed her Reply Brief in Support of Motion to Amend Exhibit List which can be viewed here. (Exhibits A and B).

January 28, 2016 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Statement Concerning the Cook County Recorder of Deeds’ Motion to Amend the Exempt List which can be viewed here.  (Exhibits A and B).

January 5, 2016 UPDATE: Plaintiffs filed a Response to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds’ Motion to Amend the Exempt List which can be viewed here.

2015 UPDATES

December 18, 2015 UPDATE: The RCA filed a Response to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds’ Motion to Amend the Exempt List which can be viewed here.

December 16, 2015 UPDATE: The Cook County Recorder of Deeds filed a Motion to Amend the Exempt List which can be viewed here.

February 5, 2015 UPDATE: The RCA filed an Interim Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

2014 UPDATES

December 11, 2014 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Eleventh Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

May 2, 2014 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Tenth Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

April 7, 2014 UPDATE: The Exempt List for the Cook County Recorder of Deeds was amended as of February 14, 2014 and can be viewed here.

2013 UPDATES

December 3, 2013 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Ninth Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

August 14, 2013 UPDATE: The Employment Plan for the Cook County Recorder of Deeds was filed with the Court today and can be viewed here.

February 22, 2013 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Eighth Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

2012 UPDATES

DECEMBER 17, 2012 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Seventh Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

NOVEMBER 29, 2012 UPDATE: The Exempt List for the Cook County Recorder of Deeds was amended as of November 28, 2012 and can be viewed here.

NOVEMBER 2, 2012 UPDATE: The RCA filed an Interim Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

AUGUST 15, 2012 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Sixth Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

April 16, 2012 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Fifth Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

2011 UPDATES

DECEMBER 15, 2011 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Fourth Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

AUGUST 26, 2011 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Third Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

APRIL 15, 2011 UPDATE: The RCA filed her Second Report to the Court today which can be viewed here.

2010 UPDATES

NOVEMBER 12, 2010 UPDATE:  The RCA filed her Initial Report to the Court which can be viewed here.

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This site is intended to be an online resource for those who may be interested in the ongoing work of the court appointed Recorder Compliance Administrator (“RCA”), Cardelle Spangler.  Ms. Spangler was appointed to her position by Order of Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier of the Northern District of Illinois federal court.  Ms. Spangler and her staff are tasked with both studying the Cook County Recorder of Deeds’ employment practices, policies and procedures for hiring, promotion, transfer, discipline and discharge and ensuring they are free from unlawful political discrimination.

The RCA was appointed pursuant to the federal civil lawsuit titled Michael L. Shakman, et al. v. Democratic Organization of Cook County, et al., Case No. 69 C 2145. The holding in that lawsuit includes the prohibition of employment practices that are based on political considerations. This lawsuit is discussed in detail in the Background page of this website.