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Last month, the Cook County Circuit Court announced an electronic device ban, effective January 14, 2013, in all Cook County courts except the Daley Center, including the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building at 26th Street and California Avenue. After discussing the proposed ban with many local practitioners, we have discovered factors that argue against the implementation of this policy.

This week, Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers wrote to Judge Evans, urging him to re-evaluate the policy change–and offering to assist in that evaluation.

The letter is excerpted below:

“The proposed ban will have a disproportionate and adverse impact on people with limited economic means. It is safe to say that nearly all individuals entering our courts carry mobile devices with them at all times. Yet, the ban will be applied selectively to defendants, victims, witnesses, and their families[1]–a great many of whom reach the courts via public transit and are thus unable to store their devices in personal vehicles.

As acknowledged by Sheriff Tom Dart, removing and storing mobile devices presents its own logistical and security challenge.[2] Removing these devices will undoubtedly lead to incidents between the public and sheriff’s deputies, as well as between the public and visitors exempt from the ban. Moreover, currently, there is just one storage machine at 26th St and California, which costs $3 and has limited capacity. Adding more storage machines may be relatively simple, but we question the fairness of imposing a storage fee for some visitors but not others.

We understand that the public safety motive for the ban. And while we are not experts in the specific security concerns this Court faces, we are sure that other urban criminal courts have faced similar challenges regarding the mis-use of mobile devices. Should the Court wish, Chicago Appleseed would be happy to research other effective solutions to this problem. In any case, for the reasons above, we ask that the Court reconsider the fairness and effectiveness of a selectively enforced electronics ban in Cook County courthouses. Should the ban be put into effect, we ask that the Court evaluate its impact and reconsider the policy in the near future.”

Just this week,  CBS Local and Chicago Magazine’s The 312 blog reported that Chicago’s domestic violence community has concerns about the ban’s effect on victims.