The Job of Court Reform

Judge Sheryl Pethers has created a stir with her retirement announcement, which highlights aspects of her judicial service that left her concerned about the administration of the civil courts in Cook County. Chicago Appleseed has a long history of working with the courts, to improve deficiencies id...
August 4, 2016

Report on the Impact of Court Fines, Fees and Costs

The Collaboration for Justice—the joint social justice effort of Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers—has released a report on the impact and legality of court fines, fees and costs. The report details how the recent trend of shifting court costs to low-income and in...
May 26, 2016

Candidate Questionnaires from the Cook County Clerk of the Court Race

A note from the Chicago Council of Lawyers, our partner organization in the Collaboration for Justice: The Primary Election in Illinois is March 15th, and early voting is happening now. The Chicago Council of Lawyers wants voters to focus on electing the most qualified judges possible, but there ar...
March 7, 2016

Regulating Stingray Technology:  A Statement from the Chicago Council of Lawyers

he Civil Liberties Committee of the Chicago Council of Lawyers has called on the state of Illinois to regulate the government's use of Stingray technology. On January 20, 2016, Representative Ann Williams of Chicago introduced Illinois House Bill 4470 to regulate the use by government bodies of cell...
February 15, 2016

CCL Statement on Necessary Reforms to Promote Police Accountability

  The Chicago Council of Lawyers (CCL) is calling for a necessary reforms to promote police accountability in Chicago. In a statement released this week, the CCL specifically criticized the terms of the city's collective bargaining agreement with the police union, which permit an officer to "c...
February 10, 2016