Latest News – Chicago Council of Lawyers

Celebrating 55 Years: Looking Back at the History of the Collaboration for Justice

On June 12th, 2025, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers will be hosting our annual summer social—this year celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Fund for Justice. As we gear up for that anniversary party, we’re looking back and the almost six decad...

Statement Opposing Trump Administration’s Arrests, Detention, and Attempts to Deport Student Activists

In New York on Saturday, March 8, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student who had led protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza, after he returned from dinner with his pregnant wife. ICE transferred Khalil, without notice to his attor...

STATEMENT OPPOSING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TARGETING OF PRO BONO COUNSEL REPRESENTING JACK SMITH

On February 25, 2025, President Trump issued a memorandum suspending the security clearances of all partners and employees of Covington & Burling LLP who assisted former Special Counsel Jack Smith. The memorandum also ordered all federal departments and agencies to terminate any engagement of Co...

Statement on the improper move to dismiss the indictment against Eric Adams

This statement appeared in the Chicago Tribune as a letter to the editor on February 20, 2025. The Chicago Council of Lawyers condemns the blatantly political order to dismiss the indictment against New York Mayor Eric Adams. The memo ordering dismissal stated explicitly that the order was mad...

STATEMENT OF CHICAGO COUNCIL OF LAWYERS OPPOSING MIGRANT DETENTION CENTER IN GUANTANAMO

On January 29, 2025, President Trump issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand the Migrant Operations Center in Guantanamo Bay in order to address “immigration enforcement needs” by providing additional detention space for migrants unlawf...

Cook County Judge Under State Disciplinary Investigation after Allegedly Sharing Racist Meme

Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman, a Cook County judge, is under disciplinary review for allegedly sending a racist meme in a text message. As reported by Injustice Watch and WBEZ, the meme depicts an AI-generated image of a Black child and a Black child’s leg with an electronic monitor on his ankle, c...

Membership in the Council

We were glad so many of you joined us at our members' meeting in October and at our fall fundraiser with Chicago Appleseed in November. We have exciting plans for membership engagement in 2025, so we hope you will renew your membership or join today! Board member Jennifer W.Y. Lee—Diversity, Equ...

Judicial Retention Election Results

Tuesday was the last day provisional ballots can be counted and it appears one Cook County Circuit Court judge will be losing their seat. Shannon O'Malley gained only 58% Yes for Retention votes. All members of the Alliance of Bar Associations rated Judge O'Malley not recommended for retention. In a...

Judicial Evaluations Available Now for the 2024 General Election: The Chicago Council of Lawyers Finds 4 Judges Not Qualified and 12 Judges Well Qualified

The Chicago Council of Lawyers has released our recommendations for the judicial retention ballot in the November 2024 general election. The Committee to Elect Qualified Judges' sample ballot is also available for download.You can read the full post on our State Judicial Evaluations page. The CC...

NEW: Second-Ever Class of the Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago Capstone Report, “School or Prisons,” Now Published

The forward, below, was written by David Schrodt, Board Member of the National Appleseed Network, Board Member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Leader of the Collaboration for Justice’s FJLOC Working Group This report is authored by the second-ever class of the Future Justice Lawyers of Chi...