2012 was a busy year for federal state and county court rooms in Chicagoland.

WGNTV legal analyst Terry Sulivan says the Drew Peterson case was huge not only because of the national media attention, but also because the appeal could go all the way to the top.

“It’s certainly a case that will be appealed, maybe even the US Supreme Court, based up pure hearsay,” he said.

Another big ruling this year was the civil trial against former Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate  who was caught on tape beating a bar tender.  The bartender was awarded an $850,000 settlement that the city will have to pay.

The heart wrenching murder trial of Christopher Vaughn who was convicted of killing his wife and three children and the murder trial for William Belfour, the man convicted of killing Jennifer Hudson’s family members also topped the list of big trials in 2012.

Finally, an historic moment for Illinois broadcasters when WGN became the first station in the Chicagoland area to provide live broadcasting of a trial, which took place in the 21st circuit of Kankakee County.