Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Rethinking and Reinvesting in Justice – Thank You for Supporting October 2020 Virtual Forum Series!

Every October, the Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers gathers for a luncheon to highlight the important systemic reform work our staff, interns, allies, and pro bono partners have done over the year. Because this year we couldn't gather in person, we...

One-Hour Access to Counsel in Police Stationhouses: A Cost-Saving Necessity

By Elijah Gelman, Chicago Appleseed Undergraduate Intern In January, Chicago Appleseed Senior Policy Analyst Sarah Staudt discussed the importance of newly proposed legislation cementing the right to counsel for every person arrested in Illinois within one-hour of arrest. Despite it being...

Prosecutorial Discretion in a Tumultuous Year

Today, Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, The People's Lobby, and Reclaim Chicago release "Prosecutorial Discretion in a Tumultuous Year," the seventh report in our series on the impact of prosecutorial discretion on incarceration and punitive punishment in Cook County since State’s Atto...

Controversy Aside, We All Agree: Chicago’s Ticketing System Needs Permanent Change.

On Friday, the Transit Table Coalition, which includes Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers, released a statement regarding a series of news reports that the City of Chicago issued 35,000 parking tickets during a pause in ticketing announced by the Mayor's office and intended to eas...

Cook County Courts Massively Behind Schedule on Criminal Cases

By Sarah Staudt, Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney The Cook County Criminal courts are disturbingly behind on resolving criminal cases. In April 2020, the Cook County Circuit Court, like many courts around the country, closed its doors for all but the “most urgent matters” – prim...