Latest News – Page 5 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

January 21, 2022: Public Comments to Chicago City Council’s Public Safety Committee in Opposition to the “Victims Justice Ordinance” (VJO)

On Friday, January 21, 2022, Program Manager & Policy Analyst for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers, Hanna Sharif-Kazemi, provided comments to the Chicago City Council’s Public Safety Committee in opposition of Mayor Lightfoot’s proposed “Victi...

Seeking Community Input: 2022 Judicial Retention Candidates

As voters, it is our responsibility to elect for fair, compassionate judges we can trust to make impartial decisions based on consideration of the facts and the law. In order to arm voters with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about judges, the Chicago Council of Lawyers completes...

Chicago City Council must vote NO on the Mayor’s proposed civil asset forfeiture ordinance (O2021-4130)

Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a plan to “start suing gang members to ‘take their assets’” in an attempt to curb community violence. Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers view the Mayor’s “Victims’ Justice Ordinance” (O2021-4130) as...

Thank you for supporting our “Identifying Hidden Injustices” series!

The Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts work together in a Collaboration for Justice to create a legal system that is fair, equitable, and accessible to all people — regardless of race, gender, ability, citizenship, or socioeconomic status. Together, our staff and...

Driving For Opportunity Act

The bipartisan Driving for Opportunity Act of 2021 creates incentives to states to end debt-based drivers’ license suspensions. It is moving through Congress this month and we are hopeful it will move through Committee with sufficient support. Under the License to Work Act, passed in Illinois 202...

REPORT: 10 Facts about Pretrial Electronic Monitoring in Cook County

The Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts have released a report, 10 Facts about Pretrial Electronic Monitoring in Cook County, which catalogs data-based facts about the Cook County Sheriff’s Electronic Monitoring (EM) Program to help the public understand the bread...

VICTORY: Appellate Court Rules to Preserve the Sanctity of Survivor Privileges in Illinois

On Friday, July 10, Chicago Appleseed and Chicago Council of Lawyers submitted an amicus brief in the Illinois Appellate case of People v. Gomez-Ramirez (AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center, Bolingbrook, and Alexian Brothers-AHS Midwest Region Health Co., Contemnors-Appellants). Our pro bono partn...

Response to Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown’s Ongoing Attacks on the Independence of the Judiciary

During a traffic stop on August 7, Chicago Police Department (CPD) Officer Ella French was shot and killed, and her partner was critically wounded. In the wake of this terrible event, emotions are understandably high as Officer French’s colleagues and loved ones continue to grieve and grapple with t...

Renewing Our Opposition of the Death Penalty and Calling for Action

During Donald Trump’s final seven months in the White House, the US Department of Justice executed 13 people. This followed a 17-year hiatus in federal executions; in the previous 60 years, only four other people had been executed by the federal government. The unseemly haste with which the Trump ad...

Advocates’ Letter to Cook County Circuit Court: Seal Eviction Court Filings to Promote Fair and Accessible Justice

The Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts have joined Access Living, Beyond Legal Aid, Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, the Chicago Urban League, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, Lega...