Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Joint Statement of the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and Chicago Council of Lawyers on the recent decision in Matter of A-B-

Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers join with the immigration and domestic violence legal communities in condemning the U.S. Attorney General’s June 11, 2018 decision in Matter of A-B-, 27 I&N Dec. 315 (A.G. 2018) which reverses long-standing protections to pers...

Associate Judge Process Has Potential but Diversity Still not Optimal

Improving diversity on the bench requires critical assessment of how judges are elected and selected; citizen oversight and participation is necessary. We believe the associate judge process this year is a reminder toward vigilance in improving representation on the bench, but we do not believe it i...

Independent Analysis of State’s Attorney Charging Trends Released Today

Contact: Kristi Sanford, 773-456-4024, kristi@thepeopleslobbyusa.org or Sharlyn Grace, 773-946-8535, sharlyngrace@chicagoappleseed.org Data from Cook County State’s Attorney Reveals Increased Transparency, Room for Improvement on Pledge to Reduce Incarceration Rates For immediate release Chicago,...

Joint Statement Against Reinstatement of the Death Penalty in Illinois

Following the advancement of House Floor Amendment 1 to SB 2580, a wrong-headed measure to reinstate the death penalty in Illinois, Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and Chicago Council of Lawyers release the following statement in opposition: Joint Statement Against Reinstating the Death P...

Driven Into Debt: The Importance of Reforming Wealth-Based Driver’s License Suspension

On May 7, 2018, Chicago Appleseed and our partners in the Working Group on Court Costs, Fines, and Fees released our policy positions on criminal court fines, fees, and costs. Using impact data and research, the Working Group developed a list of policy commitments aimed at mitigating the impact of c...