Latest News – Page 15 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

Illinois Takes Small First Step Toward Bail Reform

On June 9, 2017, Governor Rauner signed SB 2034 into law. SB 2034 covers two distinct areas of criminal law: the state RICO law and bail. First, effective immediately, it extends state RICO Act (“Illinois Street Gang And Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Law”) for an additional 5 years....

New NJDC Report Documents States’ Failure to Protect Children’s Right to Counsel

The National Juvenile Defender Center (“NJDC”) has issued new report that examines a serious failure in our justice system: the systematic denial of children’s constitutional right to a public defense. As NJDC’s troubling new report, Access Denied, documents, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled fifty year...

Immigration Court Access

On April 5, 2017, Steven Schulman, Pro Bono Partner at Akin Gump and principal author of the Appleseed Immigration Court Practice Guide, led a training for attorneys on overcoming obstacles in immigration court. The event was hosted by Latham & Watkins, sponsored by Chicago Appleseed, and co-spo...

Chicago Council of Lawyers Releases Judicial Evaluations

The Chicago Council of Lawyers has released its judicial evaluations for the November 2016 election. The Council provides a written report providing short biographies and the reasons for its findings, both for judges seeking retention and for candidates who won their March 2016 primary and are seek...

Chicago Council Responds to Mayor’s Proposed Police Accountability Ordinance

On August 30, Mayor Rahm Emanuel released a statement on police accountability and a draft ordinance to replace the Independent Police Review Authority with a new agency. The Chicago Council of Lawyers offers its thoughts below. Chicago Council of Lawyers Communication about Mayor’s Proposed Police...

Statement on PATF Report

In April 2016, the Police Accountability Task Force issued their 190-page report: Recommendations for Reform: Restoring Trust between the Chicago Police and the Communities They Serve. The Report addresses many subjects, ranging from how to improve police-community relations to how to respond to per...

Report on the Impact of Court Fines, Fees and Costs

The Collaboration for Justice—the joint social justice effort of Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers—has released a report on the impact and legality of court fines, fees and costs. The report details how the recent trend of shifting court costs to low-income and in...

Thank you for voting for qualified judges

Thank you to those of you who used the judicial evaluations of the Chicago Council of Lawyers to help you vote for qualified judges. The integrity and independence of our judges depend upon an informed electorate who vote for judges on the basis of their impartiality and quality of their judging. T...

The Race for Clerk of the Court

The Primary Election in Illinois is March 15th, and early voting is happening now. The Chicago Council of Lawyers wants voters to focus on electing the most qualified judges possible, but there are other races that affect our courts, as well. To provide more information about the race for the Cook C...

Chicago Council of Lawyers Releases Judicial Evaluations for the March 15, 2016 Primary Election

The Chicago Council of Lawyers has released its judicial evaluations for the March 15, 2016 Primary Election. You can view or download the Judicial Evaluation Report in alphabetical order, the Judicial Evaluation Report in ballot order, or a summary sample ballot from the Committee to Elect Qualifi...