Court Records Modernization

WBEZ recently reported on Sheriff Tom Dart’s criticism of the Cook County Clerk of the Court’s office for an antiquated records system. A radio report on the station this week mentioned that the Clerks Office’s modernization plan is over ten years old now. The Office of the State Appellate Defender...
October 30, 2013

The Illinois Access to Justice Act

Governor Quinn signed the Access to Justice Act, HB3111, on Thursday, August 15, 2013. Although the bill is aimed primarily at helping veterans and active duty servicemembers who are facing civil lawsuits, the law also provides funding for legal self-help centers in law libraries, creates a task f...
August 21, 2013

What E-Filing Can Do for the Courts and the Public

Last week, the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (account required) reported on the progress of the Cook County’s conversion to e-filing. The article directs readers to a survey circulated by the Illinois Supreme Court’s Automation and Technology Committee, which is collecting information about who is and...
July 31, 2013

The Tennessee Model for Judicial Disqualification

A robust, transparent, and meaningful recusal process empowers judges and litigants. Clear standards in the code of judicial conduct (or “judicial canon”) keep judges informed of their responsibilities and the boundaries of their activities, while leaving them latitude to remain independent. Where t...
June 20, 2013

Help Where it is Needed

Chicago Appleseed, with pro bono assistance from attorneys at Skadden Arps, has been evaluating recent changes to the parentage court. We’ve met with practitioners, court-personnel and legal aid attorneys familiar with the parentage court before and after it moved into the Daley Center, as well as b...
April 11, 2013