Policy Statements – Page 3 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

Civil Liberties Committee opposes Proposed Rule to “Clarify” the scope of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

On August 12, the Civil Liberties Committee submitted a formal letter to the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services opposing a change to Section 1557 NPRM, RIN 0945-AA11 of the Affordable Care Act. They write: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)...

The Data is Out: Bond reform in Cook County has been a tremendous success

A Policy Statement from Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers The Data is Out: Bond reform in Cook County has been a tremendous success By Sarah Staudt, Senior Policy Analyst and Staff Attorney Bond reform has freed thousands of people from pre-trial incarceration, avoide...

Sheriff Tom Dart is pushing a concerning bill through the Illinois legislature that would give unprecedented power to jail officials to lengthen individuals’ prison sentences due to discipline violations.

By Sarah Staudt, Senior Policy Analyst and Staff Attorney SB 416 allows jail officials to use their internal disciplinary boards to remove up to a year of pre-trial sentence credit for inmates who are found to have violated jail rules by committing “public indecency” or “assault or battery of a c...

Police Accountability Consent Decree Hearings

Chicago Council of Lawyers offered testimony at the police accountability consent decree hearings this week. A representative of the Civil Liberties Committee gave remarks that went beyond the comments submitted in writing in August of this year. The testimony began with the acknowledgment that the...

Supplemental Statement by the Federal Courts Committee of the Chicago Council of Lawyers Opposing the Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh

The Chicago Council of Lawyers issued its Supreme Court Nominee Report: Judge Brett Kavanaugh on August 31, 2018, days before Judge Kavanaugh sat before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee for a week of testimony on his judicial record, his judicial philosophy, and h...

Protecting Immigration Court Due Process

Protecting Immigration Court Due Process: A Policy Statement from the Immigration Court Reform Program Committee of the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers Prepared by PILI Fellow Vinita Singh...

Due Process Must Be Protected

–Sadaf Misbah, summer fellow at Chicago Appleseed Over the weekend, President Trump proposed depriving undocumented immigrants of their due-process rights. In this message via Twitter, the President announced his intention to implement “zero tolerance” when it comes to immigrants crossing t...

Associate Judge Process Has Potential but Diversity Still Not Optimal

Posted by Elizabeth Monkus on June 12, 2018 Improving diversity on the bench requires critical assessment of how judges are elected and selected; citizen oversight and participation is necessary. We believe the associate judge process this year is a reminder toward vigilance in improving represen...

Joint Statement of the Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice on the recent decision in Matter of A-B-

Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers join with the immigration and domestic violence legal communities in condemning the U.S. Attorney General’s June 11, 2018 decision in Matter of A-B-, 27 I&N Dec. 315 (A.G. 2018) which reverses long-standing protections to pers...

Joint Statement Against Reinstatement of the Death Penalty in Illinois

Following the advancement of House Floor Amendment 1 to SB 2580, a wrong-headed measure to reinstate the death penalty in Illinois, Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice release the following statement in opposition: Joint Statement Against Reinstating the Death Penalty i...