Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Community and Advocacy Groups Call for Justice for Dexter Reed and An End to Pretextual Traffic Stops

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts is a member of the Free2Move Coalition, an alliance of community and advocacy organizations working to create a safer, more racially equitable system of traffic safety in Chicago and advocating for the end of pretextual vehicle stops. Pretextual stops occur w...

NEW REPORT – When You’re a Hammer, Everything’s a Nail: Examining the “Progressive Prosecutor” Movement and Possibilities for Future Reform

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers have released our new report: When You're a Hammer, Everything's a Nail: Examining the "Progressive Prosecutor" Movement and Possibilities for Future Reform. This report is a high-level examination of ideas behind the na...

Voting for the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County: Your Guide for the 2024 Primary Election!

The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (“Court Clerk”) has unique responsibilities that directly impact access to the courts; the Court Clerk is in a position to create or remove many barriers to justice. The Court Clerk answers to a number of constituencies: judges, attorneys, litigants, jur...

Comment on the Clerk of the Court Data Breach

Chicago Appleseed has long been a vocal critic of the Office of the Clerk of the Court, advocating for a higher level of professionalism, accountability and better data management. We believe that the office has a duty to the public—both litigants and non-litigants alike—to share general information...

NEW – Restorative Justice, Community, and the Courts: An Analysis of the Impact, Benefits, and Elements “Constantly in Conflict” in Chicago’s Restorative Justice Community Courts

Our new report examines the Circuit Court of Cook County’s three Restorative Justice Community Courts (RJCCs) located in the Avondale (North Side), Englewood (South Side), and North Lawndale (West Side) neighborhoods of Chicago. The North Lawndale court opened in 2017, and Englewood and Avondale fol...