Latest News – Page 9 – Chicago Council of Lawyers

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...

STATEMENT CONDEMNING THE CONDUCT OF CHICAGO’S POLICE DURING PROTESTS

The Chicago Council of Lawyers was founded in 1969 by local lawyers, still reeling from the prior year’s Democratic National Convention, who were concerned about the fundamentally unfair policies and practices prevailing in Chicago and across the country. This weekend, nearly 700 people were arreste...

Eliminating Money Bond is an Evidence-Based, Common Sense Approach to Combat Mass Incarceration

This morning, the Chicago Tribune published an attack on bail reform in Cook County. Today’s article attacked two respected organizations, the Chicago Community Bond Fund and The Bail Project, a national bond fund. As leaders in bail reform efforts, Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawye...