Latest News
Progress Report: First 100 Days of the New Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
On December 1, 2020, Iris Martinez took office of Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court. The Clerk plays an essential function as the “official record keeper” for the court, responsible for collecting and disbursing [...]
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 [...]
Chicago Council of Lawyers’ Statement in Support of the Judicial Quality Act (SB 0563)
The Chicago Council of Lawyers strongly supports passage of SB 0653, the Judicial Quality Act (the “Act”). The Act requires that the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts “develop and implement an ongoing education and training program [...]
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 [...]
Findings: Access to Diversion Programs for Low-Level, “Non-Violent” Felonies has Improved since Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Took Office
The Chicago Council of Lawyers and our collaboration partners, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, have again joined The People’s Lobby and Reclaim Chicago to release the eighth report in our series on prosecutorial accountability [...]
Legislation Alert!
The Chicago Council of Lawyers is urging its members to submit Witness slips in opposition to HB 0861, which removes the court's discretion to award maintenance without consideration of "marital misconduct". HB 861 specifically prohibits [...]
VICTORY: Governor Pritzker Abolishes Money Bail by Signing HB 3653 – The SAFE-T Act – into Law
On Monday, February 22, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed HB 3653 SFA2: the SAFE-T (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity – Today) Act. The bill was sponsored in the 101st General Assembly by Senator Robert Peters, Senator Elgie [...]
Letter to Governor Pritzker: Support for HB 3653
On January 13, 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed a historic criminal justice reform package (presented by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus). Among the many provisions in the 764 page bill is the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) – a [...]
Waiting for Justice: An examination of the Cook County Criminal Court backlog in the age of COVID-19
People – both those accused and the victims of crime – are waiting increasingly long periods of time for justice, as COVID-19 has slowed court processing to a crawl.
VICTORY: Illinois Just Passed the Pretrial Fairness Act and Ended Money Bail
After years of advocacy by the Coalition to End Money Bond – including Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers – and thousands of other organizers across the state, the Illinois Legislature just became the first [...]
