Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers work together in a Collaboration for Justice to promote fair, accessible, and anti-racist courts. Every year, we gather for an annual meeting in October. This year, join our staff and allies for a two-part series focused on how we’re collaboratively identifying and fighting hidden injustices people face as they navigate the legal system. Click here for the event flyer.

On October 5, our Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney, Sarah Staudt, will be joined by Illinois State Senator Robert Peters and Garien Gatewood of the Illinois Justice Project to discuss the Pretrial Fairness Act, how it came about, what challenges we face for implementation, and why abolishing money bail is essential to racial, gender, and economic justice. For Illinois lawyers who pre-register for the event, 1.25 hours of CLE credit is available. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR OCTOBER 5.

• Sarah Staudt has been the Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney for Criminal Justice matters at Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts since 2018. Sarah graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2013. Before coming to work with Chicago Appleseed, Sarah was an Equal Justice Works Fellow and criminal defense attorney with the Lawndale Christian Legal Center (LCLC) where she represented juveniles and young adults in the Cook County Criminal Courts. During her time at Chicago Appleseed, Sarah has focused on pretrial court reform issues through our work as a member of the Coalition to End Money Bond and was instrumental in the drafting and advocating for the groundbreaking Pretrial Fairness Act, which passed in 2021. The Pretrial Fairness Act makes Illinois the first state to fully end money bail and restructure the pretrial justice system. Sarah also leads Chicago Appleseed’s other criminal legal reform work, such as projects focused on electronic detention, abolishing overly punitive sentencing systems, and promoting court system efficiency, fairness, and accountability.
• Garien Gatewood joined the Illinois Justice Project in April 2019 and became the Director in 2021. As part of the Illinois Justice Project, he has been involved in the work of the Coalition to End Money Bond. Previously, he was the Director of Policy Advocacy at the Juvenile Justice Initiative, where his work focused on legislation on both local and state levels with a focus on the rights of children, detention reform, eliminating youth homelessness, juvenile expungement, and reentry. Prior to JJI, Gatewood earned his law degree from the University of Mississippi and worked for the Children’s Law Center focused on reentry services for youth throughout Ohio and Northern Kentucky. During his time in law school, he clerked with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Mississippi Innocence Project. Currently, Garien Gatewood sits on Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board, the National Juvenile Justice Network’s Membership Advisory Council, the Board of Directors for Restore Justice Illinois, and the Board of Directors for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.
• State Senator Robert Peters is a proud South Sider and an even prouder Chicagoan. His passion for public service was cultivated by numerous events throughout his life that left a profound impact on him and the people he cares about. He was born deaf and with a massive speech impediment to a biological mother addicted to drugs and alcohol. His struggles with health and environment in early childhood led to difficulties, but Senator Peters credits his public school teachers and administrators for checking on and guiding him, and gained full hearing ability by the time he was 8 and full speech capability by the time he was 12. Senator Peters’ adopted mother and father were a social worker and a civil rights lawyer, respectively, which helped inspire his mission to fight for criminal justice reform. After college, he started as a community and political organizer back home in Chicago and successfully fought to require Cook County judges to set affordable bail amounts for all defendants, leading to a substantial reduction in the Cook County Jail population since it took effect in July 2017. As a State Senator, Peters has continued advocating for pretrial justice, working hand-in-hand with the Coalition to End Money Bond and was a chief sponsor of the SAFE-T Act (IL Public Act 101-0652), which will end money bail in 2023 and includes a range of other criminal system and policing reforms. In the 102nd General Assembly, Senator Peters will serve as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee and as a member of the Criminal Law, Environment and Conservation, Health, Human Rights, Labor, and Revenue Committees.

Then, on October 19, we will feature two keynote speakers: first, Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul will discuss what the judicial, legislative, and executive responsibilities are in eliminating disparities and improving the Illinois Courts; then, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, Honorable Anne Burke, will discuss judicial redistricting in Illinois, the Illinois Supreme Court’s new centralized approach to pretrial programs, and what the judiciary can do to help ensure accessible justice for all. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR OCTOBER 19.

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