Latest News – Page 8 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

We Should Not Declare Victory Prematurely: Fight Against COVID-19 at Cook County Jail is Far From Over

Following a recent report from the CDC that the Cook County Jail has been successful in containing the COVID-19 outbreak within its walls, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart was quick to tell the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday that he responded in the “quickest and most massive way.” Appea...

Court Costs, Fines, and Fees Are Bad Policy

Across the country, regressive court fines, administrative costs, and filing fees are functioning to penalize people solely for their poverty. Court costs, fines, and fees (also known as “monetary sanctions”) exist in both the civil and criminal realms of the justice system and are applied in all...

What’s Happening in Portland Matters

Two things are happening in Portland, Oregon, that bear close attention in Chicago as events quickly unfold. First, as summarized on July 17 by Charlie Warzel, an opinion writer at large for The New York Times: Thursday night [July 16] marked the 50th consecutive night of demonstrations in Portla...

The United States is a Nation Ruled by Laws, Not Kings

AMERICANS EVERYWHERE MUST SPEAK UP ABOUT PORTLAND Americans everywhere should care deeply about what the Trump administration is doing to Americans in Portland – and give voice against it. As the highly esteemed and astute law professor John C. Jefferies, Jr.would say: it is Not Good. Before...

President Trump’s Commutation of Roger Stone’s Sentence Subverts the Rule of Law

Written by Robert E. Lehrer, Board Member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers Almost immediately after President Trump’s July 10 commutation of Roger Stone’s 40-month prison sentence (Stone being Trump’s longtime friend and confidante, a 2016 campaign adviser—and a convicted felon), Sen...

Amicus Brief filed in the Illinois Appellate Case of People v. Gomez-Ramirez

On Friday, July 10, Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed 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...

Chicago Police Superintendent Wrongfully Blames Gun Violence on Bond Reform

This is a joint statement from the member organizations of the Coalition to End Money Bond. You can find its original publication here. On July 6, 2020, new Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown held a press conference about the Fourth of July weekend’s gun vi...

The License to Work Act Goes Into Effect Today!

We're sharing the following news release from the Transit Table Coalition regarding its impact. Thousands of Illinoisans who lost driving privileges for non-driving violations like unpaid parking ticket debt join with community advocates to celebrate the License to Work Act, which becomes law...

Support for Changes to Chicago’s Vehicle Impoundment Ordinance

We must not fund our courts, nor our government, through systems of fines and fees that present a disproportionate burden to our economically vulnerable community members. Reducing punitive fines and fees and restructuring enforcement mechanisms to relieve burdens on the most economically vulnera...

CPD Barriers to Quality Stationhouse Representation

On Tuesday, June 23, Public Defender Amy Campanelli held a press conference to announce the filing of a lawsuit demanding the Chicago Police Department (CPD) abide by state law to provide a phone – and phone number for her stationhouse unit – to all arrested people within one-hour of...