Latest News – Page 8 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

Join Us in October

Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers, the Collaboration for Justice, have been doing an annual luncheon for decades—this year is different. Instead of a luncheon, we will host three virtual panels on October 9, 16, and 23. Each 90 minute panel will focus on a different issue and what...

Analysis: PROPOSALS TO ESTABLISH A CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT COMMISSION FOR THE CPD AND RELATED AGENCIES

Today, the Chicago Council of Lawyers (Council) issues a memorandum reviewing and commenting on two alternative pending ordinances that would establish a Civilian Oversight Commission over the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), and the Chicago Polic...

Three Reforms to Fines, Fees, and Debt Collection Practices

Along with our partner, Chicago Appleseed, the Council of Lawyers is a member of the Transit Table Coalition, working to eliminate transportation barriers that keep people out of work and in poverty. On Friday, the Transit Table Coalition released a statement regarding a series of news reports t...

New Directions for the Office of the Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court: Recommendations for Planning and Transitioning to New Leadership

Written by Sarah Bloomquist, Undergraduate Intern (Summer 2020) Today, Chicago Council of Lawyers, Chicago Appleseed, and the Civic Federation release our joint report, New Directions for the Office of the Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court: Recommendations for Planning a...

Judicial Evaluation Results for November 2020

Today, the Chicago Council of Lawyers releases our Judicial Evaluation Report of candidates seeking retention in the November 3, 2020 election. A ballot summary of our findings can be found here. Voting for judges is a key part of our democracy. Some Cook County judges are elected by the public...

Examining “Cook County E-Court” and Looking Toward the Future of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Written by Sarah Bloomquist and Allison Leon In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal courtrooms in Cook County were shuttered for all but limited proceedings beginning March 13, 2020, with judges allowed to hear only bond and preliminary hearings, arraignments, and g...

Chicago Tribune Reports Excellent News about State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s Reformist Policies (Even if they Framed it as an Attack)

Both this morning and yesterday, the Chicago Tribune published an editorial and an analysis, respectively, attacking bail reform in Cook County and the State’s Attorney’s (SA) felony dismissal rates. The information published in their report on SA Kim Foxx is...

Reallocating Priorities: Call for City of Chicago to Invest in Community-Based DV Prevention and Intervention

Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed are happy to share The Network's campaign to fund domestic and sexual violence services. The Network has released a comprehensive report calling for the reallocation of $35-million from the budget of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to community se...

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...