The Illinois Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a significant case that could determine whether disciplinary proceedings involving Chicago police officers accused of serious misconduct can take place behind closed doors.

As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the dispute centers on whether officers facing serious disciplinary charges may bypass the Chicago Police Board and instead pursue private arbitration. A Cook County judge previously ruled that officers could choose arbitration but that the proceedings could not be private, and an appellate court upheld that decision, citing Illinois public policy favoring police accountability and transparency. The Fraternal Order of Police appealed the ruling to the state’s highest court.

The outcome could have significant implications for Chicago’s police accountability system. More than two dozen officers with pending Police Board charges have opted for arbitration and are awaiting the court’s decision, including seven officers accused of using deadly force. The City of Chicago argues that closing these proceedings to the public would reverse decades of practice and undermine police reform efforts. In contrast, the police union maintains that state law permits private arbitration.

Chicago Council of Lawyers Acting Executive Director David Melton is attending today’s Illinois Supreme Court hearing as the justices consider the arguments and the broader questions of transparency and public accountability at stake. CCL will continue following this case and its implications for Chicago’s police oversight system.

Click here to read the full report from the Chicago Sun-Times.