Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Limited Scope Representation and Access to Justice

Last Friday, the Law Bulletin reported that the Illinois Supreme Court has adopted rule changes to clarify and expand limited scope representation. The Illinois State Bar Association also reported on the change. Limited scope representation happens when a person hires an attorney to handle only pa...

“Evidence-Based Cook County Bail System Reform” Resolution Urges a New Push for Coordinated Reform

At the June 19 meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Commissioner John Fritchey put forward a resolution entitled “Evidence-Based Cook County Bail System Reform.” The resolution urges the Cook County judiciary to overhaul the “failing pre-trial justice system,” starting with introducing...

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...

Appleseed Position Statement on S.744

Appleseed Position Statement on S.744: Improving the Accuracy, Legitimacy and Efficiency of the United States Immigration Court System Appleseed applauds the Senate Judiciary Committee’s recent significant consensus on S.744 and enthusiastically supports several aspects of the proposed legis...

Policy Brief on Judicial Evaluations

Since 2010, the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice has managed a Pilot Project for judicial evaluation: the Judicial Performance Commission of Cook County. This demonstration project explores the feasibility of using the performance commission model to evaluate judicial retention candidates to posit...