Latest News – Page 3 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

New Research Documents Need For Deep Reform of Cook County Criminal Court Culture

In their new study documenting a litany of failings in the operation of the Cook County Felony Courts at 26th Street and California Avenue in Chicago, "How Culture Impacts Courtrooms: An Empirical Study of Alienation and Detachment in the Cook County Court System" ("study"), four law faculty authors...

“Slipping Through the Cracks” – Evaluation of the Cook County Domestic Violence Division in Chicago

Since early 2020, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers have been evaluating the Domestic Violence Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, with a specific focus on the Domestic Violence Courthouse at 555 West Harrison in Chicago. Today, we release our find...

Amicus in People v. Moore: There is no justice when access is random or when the rules are unpredictable

In May, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and Chicago Council of Lawyers joined an amicus brief submitted by the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in the Illinois Supreme Court case, People v. Moore. Our Collaboration for Justice is proud to add ou...

All People Deserve Access to Their Rights – Especially Those as Foundational as the Presumption of Innocence

Cook County leads the nation in exonerations based on false confessions. Between 1972 and 1991, Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge tortured at least 119 people – most of whom were young Black men – in order to force false confessions. Cook County still lives in that legacy: Betwe...

Primary Election Judicial Evaluations for June 2022 are Live!

Among the Chicago Council of Lawyers’ most vital projects are our state judicial evaluations. This crucial public service to help the citizens of Illinois vote for qualified judges. The quality of our judiciary is a critical part of our democracy, and informed voting for judges is necessary if we ar...

Two Years In: Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Remote Court Proceedings

The need to preserve court access during the pandemic moved hearings online. Remote court hearings are expected to continue – even as the courts return to in-person proceedings. While the transition has raised some concerns related to due process and accessibility, there appear to be some benefits t...

Open Letter to President Biden: End the Decades-Long Imprisonment of Men Held Without Charge at Guantánamo

The Chicago Council of Lawyers joins the International Committee of the Red Cross in calling on President Biden to release forthwith the nineteen men held without charge at Guantánamo for two decades, who already have been cleared by our government for release or transfer. Over twenty years ago,...

“Organized Retail Theft” Bill is an Extreme Approach to an Imaginary Problem

This week, the Illinois Retail Merchants’ Association succeeded in convincing the Illinois General Assembly to introduce legislation targeted at reducing “organized retail theft.” Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers vehemently opposed the bill, HB 1091, which...

Announcing: Jill Dupont Memorial Fellowship of the Collaboration for Justice

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, an affiliate of Appleseed, and the Chicago Council of Lawyers, Chicago’s public interest bar association, are incredibly honored to announce the creation of the Jill Dupont Memorial Fellowship of the Collaboration for Justice. Chicago Appleseed Cent...

Progress Report: First Year of the New Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Today, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Civic Federation released our report examining Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez’s first full year in office. This progress report follows a report issued ahead of the November 202...