The three formal plea options are guilty, not guilty, and no contest (nolo contendere, rarely accepted). Nearly every Cook County DUI arraignment produces a not-guilty plea to preserve all defenses and open the discovery window. Guilty pleas at arraignment are rare because plea negotiations have not yet occurred and no discovery has been reviewed. The chicagoduilawyer.net brand cautions against premature guilty entry: the prosecutor has not yet evaluated case weaknesses, the police report may contain fatal defects, and the statutory summary suspension challenge under 625 ILCS 5/2-118.1 has not been litigated. Entering not guilty preserves every option.
