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...

CCL Statement in Support of “Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act.”

Statement in Support of “Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act.” Senate Bill 1587 Engrossed Gordon Waldron, Chair of the Civil Liberties Committee, Chicago Council of Lawyers The Chicago Council of Lawyers supports the “Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act,” Senate Bill 1587 Engrossed. Surveillance by...

CCL & Chicago Appleseed in the News on Judicial Elections

WGN, the Chicago Tribune and Medill Watchdog have begun a series of investigations into the judicial elections process. The integrity of the judicial elections process is an important research concern at Chicago Appleseed, as is the overall quality of our judiciary and the investigators spoke to our...

Immigration Court Reform: Amendment to S. 744

On May 20, 2013 by voice vote, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Coons Amendment to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.  Through his amendment, Senator Coons has put into place Chicago Appleseed’s and National Appleseed’s long-held belie...

Collaboration for Justice: Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers

Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice began in 1970 as the Fund for Justice, a nonprofit research group, dedicated to finding solutions for inadequacies in the legal system. In 1997, the Fund for Justice joined the National Appleseed network to become the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice. Since then,...