Policy Statements – Page 2 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

Advocates’ Letter to Cook County Circuit Court: Seal Eviction Court Filings to Promote Fair and Accessible Justice

The Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts have joined Access Living, Beyond Legal Aid, Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, the Chicago Urban League, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, Lega...

Safeguarding Privacy Rights of Domestic Violence Survivors

People v. Gomez-Ramirez Case Description On June 16, oral arguments began in the Illinois appellate case of People v. Gomez-Ramirez (AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center, Bolingbrook, and Alexian Brothers-AHS Midwest Region Health Co., Contemnors-Appellants). The case, which is being h...

Analysis: Proposals for Community Commissions for Public Safety and Accountability

The Chicago Council of Lawyers has analyzed two proposed ordinances to establish civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Both ordinances -- one proposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot ("Mayor's Proposal") and one proposed by a group of community organizations ("Community's Proposal") --...

Demanding Justice for Adam Toledo

On March 29, 2021, a Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer shot and killed thirteen-year-old Adam Toledo after chasing him on foot in Little Village. The footage reflects a tragedy—a tragedy that did not have to happen, for the thirteen-year-old, for his family and friends, for the police officer...

Ending Money Bail Makes Communities Safer, Fairer, and Protects Due Process

This statement from the Chicago Council of Lawyers was originally published in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin on March 22, 2021. Click here for the article. On February 22, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a landmark criminal justice reform package—the Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equit...

Analysis: PROPOSALS TO ESTABLISH A CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT COMMISSION FOR THE CPD AND RELATED AGENCIES

Today, the Chicago Council of Lawyers (Council) issues a memorandum reviewing and commenting on two alternative pending ordinances that would establish a Civilian Oversight Commission over the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), and the Chicago Polic...

What’s Happening in Portland Matters

Two things are happening in Portland, Oregon, that bear close attention in Chicago as events quickly unfold. First, as summarized on July 17 by Charlie Warzel, an opinion writer at large for The New York Times: Thursday night [July 16] marked the 50th consecutive night of demonstrations in Portla...

The United States is a Nation Ruled by Laws, Not Kings

AMERICANS EVERYWHERE MUST SPEAK UP ABOUT PORTLAND Americans everywhere should care deeply about what the Trump administration is doing to Americans in Portland – and give voice against it. As the highly esteemed and astute law professor John C. Jefferies, Jr.would say: it is Not Good. Before...

Ending Code of Silence Policies in the Chicago Police Department’s Collective Bargaining Agreements

The Coalition for Police Contracts Accountability (CPCA) offers recommendations to end the provisions in Chicago Police Department's Collective Bargaining Agreements that perpetuate the "Code of Silence" According to the Better Government Association (BGA), it was estimated in 2018 that the City...

Policy Statement of the Civil Liberties Committee: Limits on NSA Surveillance of Americans should be Retained or Strengthened

After Edward Snowden leaked classified memos that disclosed that the National Security Agency (NSA) had been been gathering bulk telephone metadata on Americans (such as phone numbers called and the dates and times), Congress enacted the USA Freedom Act of 2015 (H.R. 2048, Pub.L. 114–23). That act l...

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