Policy Statements
Official policy positions and recommendations addressing judicial selection, court reform, and related legal system issues.
Support for SB 3635 to End Driver’s License Suspensions for Failures to Appear
UPDATE: HB 5588 has been assigned to committee for hearing on Wednesday, February 16. Please submit a witness slip in favor of the bill, as a "proponent," using this link before the hearing at 10:00 AM [...]
Principles for Earned Release Sentencing Reform In Illinois
The Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers, along with a coalition of supporting organizations, have released an open letter to the Illinois Resentencing Task Force urging them [...]
Chicago City Council must vote NO on the Mayor’s proposed civil asset forfeiture ordinance (O2021-4130)
Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a plan to “start suing gang members to ‘take their assets’” in an attempt to curb community violence. Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers view the Mayor’s “Victims’ [...]
Response to Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown’s Ongoing Attacks on the Independence of the Judiciary
During a traffic stop on August 7, Chicago Police Department (CPD) Officer Ella French was shot and killed, and her partner was critically wounded. In the wake of this terrible event, emotions are understandably high [...]
Renewing Our Opposition of the Death Penalty and Calling for Action
During Donald Trump’s final seven months in the White House, the US Department of Justice executed 13 people. This followed a 17-year hiatus in federal executions; in the previous 60 years, only four other people [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
