Chicago Appleseed’s Library includes original research, blog posts, and press coverage related to our five program areas: Access to Justice; Civil Liberties & Police Accountability; Criminal Justice; Family Law & Courts; and Immigration Court Reform.

All of our initiatives fall into one of these broad program areas, which are led by groups – our Collaboration for Justice Program Committees – of between 10-100 volunteer lawyers, academics, and organizers who meet monthly and, cumulatively, provide thousands-of-hours of pro bono research and advocacy work for our collaborative initiatives annually. More information about our committees can be found here.

Access to Justice

PUBLICATIONS

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW & JUDICIAL QUALITY

The Need for a Central Panel Approach to Administrative Adjudication: Pros, Cons, and Selected Practices [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (February 2019)
Judicial Elections in Cook County Process Guide [PNG] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Votes
Policy Brief: Judicial Recusal [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (December 2012)
Electing Judges in Cook County: The Role of Money, Political Party, and the Voters [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (April 2003)

ADMINISTRATION OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY

Year One Progress Report: New Directions for the Office of the Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Civic Federation (April 2021)
First 100 Days: New Directions for the Office of the Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Civic Federation (April 2021)
New Directions for the Office of the Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court: Recommendations for Planning and Transitioning to New Leadership [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Civic Federation (September 2020)
Cook County E-Court: Evaluating the Circuit Court’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Looking Toward the Future [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (August 2020)

CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE

I Don’t Know Why I’m Here: Observations from Cook County’s Civil Asset Forfeiture Courtrooms [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers (April 2023 – updated June 22, 2023)

DOMESTIC & GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

“Slipping Through The Cracks” – An Evaluation of Cook County’s Domestic Violence Division in Chicago [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (August 2022)

EVICTION COURTS & COURT RECORDING

The Case for Recording Devices in Cook County Eviction Courts [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (July 2016)

PRESS

More media coverage of our Access to Justice work can be found here.

COVID-19

“COVID-19 Backlog Leaves 100s in Cook County Jail for Over a Year: Report” by Carlos Ballesteros for ABC-7 (May 1, 2021)

“Mendoza Won’t Deduct Fines from Tax Refunds for Low to Moderate Income Illinoisans” by Rich Miller for Capitol Fax (March 15, 2021)

“Illinois Law School Grads Ask State to Let Them Skip the Bar Exam because of COVID-19” by Kate McGee for WBEZ (July 6, 2020)

“Illinois Changes Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Unemployment Policies in Response to COVID-19” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (March 26, 2020)

COURT ADMINISTRATION

“Cook County Closes In On a New Flag, Renews Contract for 3rd-Party Debt Collection” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (March 18, 2022)

“Advocates Release Progress Report on Clerk Iris Martinez” for Lawndale News (March 17, 2022)

“Watchdog Groups Dig Martinez on Slow Tech and Transparency Reform but Praise ‘Progress’ on Shakman” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (February 25, 2022)

“Martinez Emphasizes Ethics Reforms, Predicts End to Shakman Probe in Anniversary Address” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (December 3, 2021)

“Political Forum: Chicago Appleseed” by CAN TV (October 19, 2021)

“Curing ‘Petty, Everyday Injustice’ in Cook County” for 70 Million Podcast (September 19, 2021)

“Breaking Down the Issue of Public Access to Judicial Branch Data in Illinois” by The Civic Federation (May 14, 2021)

“Martinez Lags on Transparency as Diluted Public Access Bill Winds Through Legislature: Report” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (April 29, 2021)

“Circuit Court Clerk’s First 100 Days Gets Low Marks from Watchdogs” by A.D. Quig for Crain’s Chicago Business (April 28, 2021)

“Circuit Court Clerk Touts Transparency with New Bill. Critics Say It’s Not What She Promised.” by Josh McGhee for Injustice Watch (April 7, 2021)

“The New Debt Prisons” – Opinion by Gene B. Sperling for New York Times (February 16, 2021)

“Chicago Attys Hope New Clerk will Modernize Cook County” for Law360 (October 21, 2020)

“Report: Election of New Clerk Chance for Reforms to Boost Public Accountability, Accessibility in Cook County Courts” by Jonathan Bilyk for Cook County Record (September 23, 2020)

“Advocacy Groups Craft Long To-Do List for Next Cook County Circuit Court Clerk, Rip Incumbent Dorothy Brown for ‘Unprepared’ Response to Pandemic” by Alice Yin for Chicago Tribune (September 22, 2020)

“Next Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Must Improve Public Access, Accountability, Legal Groups Say” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (September 22, 2020)

“Groups Call for Big Changes in an Office Stuck in the Carbon Paper Era” by Greg Hinz for Crain’s Chicago Business (September 22, 2020)

“The Race to Repair Dorothy Brown’s Office” by Mari Cohen for Chicago Magazine (January 22, 2020)

“Court Clerk Candidates Tout Plans to Overhaul Hiring, Technology in Beleaguered Office” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (January 15, 2020)

“Democrats Running for Circuit Court Clerk Vow Digitization, Accountability, Debt Relief” by Chip Mitchell for WBEZ (January 14, 2020)

EVICTION COURT RECORDING

“Eviction Court Judge Slams Moratorium as ‘Utter Idiocy.’ It’s Not On the Record” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (January 14, 2021)

“For the First Time in 16 Years, Chicago’s Eviction Court is on Tape” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (October 30, 2019)

“Failure to Record Cook County Eviction Court Hearings Leaves Tenants Vulnerable” by Olivia Stovicek and Mari Cohen for Injustice Watch (April 25, 2018)

“Attorneys: Cook County Eviction Court Proceedings are ‘Black Box’” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (December 21, 2016)

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS

“Your Guide to Voting in the 2022 Illinois Primary Election” by Shelby Bremer for NBC-Chicago (June 9, 2022)

“Illinois Supreme Court Fills Vacancy of Judge Who Locked Grandniece in Holding Cell” by Josh McGhee for Injustice Watch (July 1, 2021)

“In 2020, Cook County Voters Cast Ballots for Judges in Historic Numbers” by Carlos Ballesteros, Emily Hoerner, and Jason Asenso for Injustice Watch (December 3, 2020)

“Final Election Results Show One Cook County Judges Lost Her Seat, Others Hold On By a Thread” by Carlos Ballesteros & Emily Hoerner for Injustice Watch & Block Club Chicago (November 24, 2020)

“Two Cook County Judges on the Verge of Losing Seats as Vote Counting Continues” by Carlos Ballesteros for Injustice Watch (November 12, 2020)

“Know Your Judges! Be Informed as You Head to The Polls” by Danielle Sanders for Chicago Defender (November 2, 2020)

“Bar Associations Make Cook County Judicial Evaluations” by Barbara Vitello for Daily Herald (October 29, 2020)

“Voting for Judges: More Than a Two-Person Race” by Mateusz Janik for Columbia Chronicle (October 29, 2020)

“Advocates Want End of Money Bond, Law Enforcement Pushes Back” by Raymon Traoncoso for The Telegraph (October 23, 2020)

“How to Research Judges On Your Illinois Ballot This Election” by Shelby Bremer for NBC-Chicago (October 23, 2020)

“Alliance of Bar Associations Shares Cook County Judicial Recommendations” by Barbara Vitello for Daily Herald (September 30, 2020)

“Ask an Expert: Bar Association Ratings, Explained” by John Seasly for Injustice Watch (September 22, 2020)

“What’s a judicial retention election, anyway?” by Jonah Newman for Injustice Watch (August 25, 2020)

“Election 2020: How To Vote for Judges in the Illinois Primary” by Lorraine Swanson for Patch (February 26, 2020)

“Cook County Judicial Elections Stir Up Unusual Public Scrutiny” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (November 1, 2018)

“No African American Candidates Chosen as Cook County Judges Add 16 to Bench” by Mari Cohen for Injustice Watch (May 23, 2018)

Criminal Legal System

PUBLICATIONS

COURT COSTS, FINES, AND FEES

Testimony: Illinois Supreme Court Statutory Task Force for Court Costs – Public Hearing [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts (July 2021)

Court Costs, Fines, and Fees Are Bad Policy: Recommendations for Illinois Legislators [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (July 2020)

Common Issues with Criminal Court Fines, Fees, and Costs in Cook County: A practice guide for criminal defense attorneys [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (January 2018)

Statement on Excessive Court Fines, Fees, and Costs [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (May 2016)

ELECTRONIC MONITORING

Cages Without Bars – Pretrial Electronic Monitoring Across the United States [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, MediaJustice, Shriver Center on Poverty Law (September 2022)

Electronic Monitoring Review – Cook County, Illinois Final Report [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & CGL Companies (August 2022)

10 Facts about Pretrial Electronic Monitoring in Cook County [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers (September 2021)

DIVERSION, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, AND COMMUNITY COURTS

Restorative Justice, Community, and The Courts: An Analysis of the Impacts, Benefits, and Elements in “Constant Conflict” in the Chicago Restorative Justice Community Courts (RJCCs) [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers (February 2024)

One Size Doesn’t Fit All: A Review of Post-Plea Problem-Solving Courts in Cook County [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers (April 2023)

Reducing Barriers to Recovery Shifting Low-Level Drug Possession From Felonies to Misdemeanors in Illinois [PDF] | ACLU-IL, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, Cook County Department of Public Health, Illinois Justice Project (November 2022)

Access to Community-Based Treatment (ACT) Court: Preliminary Research on Target Population [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (June 2013)

Report: Strategies to Enhance and Coordinate Cook County Diversion Programs [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (June 2012)

Report: Cook County Diversion Court: Proposal and Implementation Plan [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (October 2010)

GENERAL CRIMINAL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Cook County E-Court: Evaluating the Circuit Court’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Looking Toward the Future [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (August 2020)

Illinois Supreme Court Proposal – Going to Scale: Coordinating Criminal Justice Reform in Cook County [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (September 2013)

Policy Brief: Community Courts in Cook County (Part I + Part II) [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (February 2013)

Policy Brief: Use of Data in Criminal Court Performance Measurement [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (November 2012)

Policy Brief: Early Criminal Case Assessment in Urban Jurisdictions [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (August 2012)

A Report on Chicago’s Felony Courts [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (December 2007)

GUN POSSESSION

Punishing Fear: The Devastating Impact of the War on Gun Possession in Chicago [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts (October 2024)

JUVENILE JUSTICE

Memo to Illinois Supreme Court on Impact of Shackling Juveniles During Hearings [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Goldberg Kohn, Ltd. (October 2015)

PRETRIAL FAIRNESS

$tate of Injustice: A Community Review of Bond Courts in Illinois [PDF] | Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice (November 2022)

Protecting Public Health Through Decarceration: Holding Cook County’s Criminal Courts Accountable During the COVID-19 Pandemic [PDF] | Coalition to End Money Bond (September 2020)

Vision for a Just Pretrial System: How to End Money Bond and Increase Pretrial Freedom [PDF] | Coalition to End Money Bond (January 2020)

Protecting Pretrial Freedom: Two Years of Bond Reform in Cook County [PDF] | Coalition to End Money Bond (September 2020)

Pursuing Pretrial Freedom: The Urgent Need for Bond Reform in Illinois [PDF] | Coalition to End Money Bond (June 2019)

Monitoring Cook County’s Central Bond Court: A Community Courtwatching Initiative [PDF] | Coalition to End Money Bond (February 2018)

Letter to the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee In Support of Affordable Bail Rule [PDF] (November 2017)

Principles of Bail Reform in Cook County [PDF] (April 2017)

Legislation Policy Brief: Proposal to Reduce Time to Preliminary Hearings [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (May 2014)

Pre-Trial Delay and Length of Stay in Cook County Jail [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (October 2013)

Public Testimony on Illinois Supreme Court Proposal 12-01 (P.R. 0196) — Defendant’s Appearance by Videoconference [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (November 2012)

Court Watching Report: Cook County Central Bond Court [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (November 2011)

PROSECUTORIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY

When You’re a Hammer,  Everything’s a Nail: Examining the “Progressive Prosecutor Movement” and Possibilities for the Future | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers (March 2024)

Progressive Promises: Results of a Reform Prosecutor in Cook County [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (September 2022)

Decarcerating Cook County: Use of Diversion Programs for Low-Level, “Non-Violent” Felonies Increased Substantially Under Kim Foxx Compared to Anita Alvarez [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (March 2021)

Prosecutorial Discretion in a Tumultuous Year: A Report on the Impact of Prosecutorial Discretion on Incarceration Rates in Cook County [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (September 2020)

Data Show Major Decreases in Felony Charges, Incarceration Rate for Black and Latinx Residents in Cook County since 2017 [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (February 2020)

Creating a Culture of Fairness and Accountability: Defense Attorneys Report of Kim Foxx’s Progress toward Transforming the Priorities of Her Office [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (October 2019)

Sentences of Incarceration Decline Sharply, Public Safety Improves during Kim Foxx’s Second Year in Office: New data portal demonstrates benefit of criminal justice reform, transparency [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (July 2019)

Exercising Full Powers: Recommendations to Kim Foxx on Addressing Systemic Racism in the Cook County Criminal Justice System [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (January 2019)

A Step in the Right Direction: An Analysis of Felony Prosecution Data in Cook County [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (May 2018)

In Pursuit of Justice for All: An Evaluation of Kim Foxx’s First Year in Office [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed, The People’s Lobby, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Reclaim Chicago (December 2017)

RIGHTS TO COUNSEL & COMMUNICATION

Nationwide Jurisdictional Comparison of the Right to Communicate After Arrest | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts [PDF] (July 2021)

A Report on Stationhouse Representation in Cook County [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (March 2019)

Ensuring the Public Defense of Indigent Criminal Defendants in Cook County [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (August 2015)

Memo & Proposed General Order: Constitutional Violations in Cook County: Denying A Public Defender to Indigent Criminal Defendants Who Post Bond [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Chicago Council of Lawyers (June 2013)

PRESS

More media coverage of our Criminal Justice work can be found here.

COVID-19: DECARCERATION & PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH

“Coronavirus Cases Rising In Cook County Jail Despite Widespread Vaccines And Testing: ‘It’s Devastating’” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (December 2, 2021)

“Incarcerated at Home: The Rise of Ankle Monitors and House Arrest during the Pandemic” by April Galser for NBC News (July 5, 2021)

“Illinois Speedy Trial Rights Ordered Reinstated – But Not Until October” by Carlos Ballesteros for Injustice Watch (June 30, 2021)

“Court Backlog Leaves Hundreds of People in Cook County Jail for More than a Year” by Carlos Ballesteros for Injustice Watch (April 28, 2021)

“Cook County Pubic Defender’s Office Warns of Scam After Someone Listened in on Zoom Court Proceedings” by Tonya Francisco for WGN TV (March 3, 2021)

“What Went Wrong at Cook County Jail” by Kiran Misra for South Side Weekly (February 18, 2021)

“Cook County Jail Starts Vaccinating Detainees for COVID-19” by Kiran Misra for South Side Weekly (February 5, 2021)

“Pressed on Jail Detainees Awaiting Trial for Years, Evans Moves to Tighten Court Scheduling” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (February 4, 2021)

“COVID-19 is Spreading Faster than Ever. Jail Populations are Surging, Too” by Jerry Iannelli for The Appeal (February 3, 2021)

“As COVID-19 Surges in Jails, Guards Want Vaccine Early” by Kris Maher for The Wall Street Journal (January 4, 2021)

“Jail, Prison Populations Must be Among First to Get COVID-19 Vaccine: Advocacy Groups” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (December 21, 2020)

“Cook County Jail was One of The Nation’s Largest COVID-19 Hot Spots Last Spring. It’s Worse Now” by Matthew Hendrickson for Chicago Sun-Times (December 15, 2020)

“Some Cook County Judges are Choosing to Hold Face-to-Face Hearings Despite Pandemic” by Lourdes Duarte for WGN-TV (December 4, 2020)

“Officials ‘Did Nothing’ to Prevent Latest Coronavirus Outbreak in Jail, Guards and Advocates Say” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (December 1, 2020)

“Dramatically Reduce the Population of Cook County Jail and Protect Public Health” – Opinion by Stephanie Agnew for Chicago Sun-Times (November 24, 2020)

“Report: Cook County Jail is Filling Up Again” by Lucia Geng for South Side Weekly (September 28, 2020)

“COVID-19 Makes Deciding Who Gets Out of Jail Urgent” for Season 3, Episode 1 of 70 Million Podcast (September 14, 2020)

“Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice: COVID-19 in Carceral Settings” by Emma Lubitsch for CAN TV (August 24, 2020)

“Looting, Unrest Give Way to Another Phase of Recovery in Chicago” by Amanda Vinicky for WTTW (August 11, 2020)

“Why is the Cook County Jail Population Rising?” by Connor Echols & Jonah Newman for Injustice Watch (July 17, 2020)

“Sitting Ducks: ‘Leaving People in the Jail is Leaving People to Die‘” by Kiran Misra for South Side Weekly (June 23, 2020)

“Amid One of the Nation’s Worst Coronavirus Outbreaks, a Shortage of Ankle Monitor Kept Some People in Jail” by Kira Lerner for The Appeal (June 2, 2020)

“Court Watchers Fill Holes in Bond Data during COVID Jail Outbreak” by John Seasly for Injustice Watch (May 20, 2020)

“State’s Attorney has Contested Vast Majority of Bond Motions Since COVID-19” by John Seasly for Injustice Watch (May 18, 2020)

“Inmate Who Agreed to Stay in Cook County Jail to Avoid Immigration Trouble Lost Life to COVID-19 Instead” by Annie Sweeney & Elvia Malagón (May 4, 2020)

“181 Cook County Jail Staffers have Coronavirus. Remaining Guards are Overworked, Forced to Cut Corners, Union Says” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (April 14, 2020)

“Activists Demand Court Release Detainees Amid COVID-19 Concerns” by Connor Echnols for Injustice Watch (March 19, 2020)

COOK COUNTY JAIL & ELECTRONIC MONITORING

“False Alarms” by Matt Chapman, Natalie Frazier, and The TRiiBE for Chicago Reader (June 9, 2022)

“We Need More Transparency on Electronic Monitoring and Cook County Circuit Court Business” op-ed by Laurence Msall for Chicago Tribune (May 12, 2022)

“Changes to Electronic Home Monitoring Drawing Criticism” by Lourdes Duarte & Andrew Schroedter for WGN TV (January 27, 2022)

“Electronic Monitoring has Widened its Net Amid COVID” by James Kilgore & Emmett Sanders for Truthout (October 4, 2021)

“Cook County Electronic Monitoring Program, Used Widely, Slammed in New Report” by Chuck Goudie, Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel, and Ross Weidner for ABC-7 (September 24, 2021)

“Data Analysis Lays Out 10 Facts About Pre-Trial Electronic Monitoring by the Cook County Sheriff” by Ray Hanania for Suburban Chicagoland (September 23, 2021)

“Incarcerated at Home: The Rise of Ankle Monitors and House Arrest during the Pandemic” by April Galser for NBC News (July 5, 2021)

“Backlog Leaves 100s in Cook County Jail for More Than Year” by Carlos Ballesteros for U.S. News & World Report (May 1, 2021)

“E-Carceration and COVID-19 Reference List” for MediaJustice (March 18, 2021)

“Pressed on Jail Detainees Awaiting Trial for Years, Evans Moves to Tighten Court Scheduling” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (February 4, 2021)

“Ankle Monitor Shortage at Chicago Jail Put Prisoner Releases During COVID in Limbo” by David M. Reutter for Prison Legal News 31(11) (November 2020)

“Illinois Loosened Ankle Monitor Restrictions, but Advocates Say it’s Too Soon to Celebrate” by Kira Lerner for The Appeal (October 18, 2019)

“Illinois Doesn’t Track Electronic Monitoring Data, but New Legislation Would Require It” by Lee Gaines for NPR Illinois (June 14, 2019)

“No Need for Tom Dart to be Gun-Shy on Bail Reform” by Curtis Black for Chicago Reporter (March 15, 2018)

“Masturbation Epidemic in Cook County Court Lockups Raises Questions about Jail Conditions, County Budget, Defendants’ Rights” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (November 6, 2017)

“Cook County Correctional Officers Seek Class-Action Status in Lawsuit over Jail Masturbators” by Patrick Smith for WBEZ Chicago (May 2, 2019)

“Chicago is Tracking Kids with GPS Monitors that can Call and Record Them Without Consent” by Kira Lerner for The Appeal and Citylab (April 8, 2019)

“Chicago’s Ankle Monitors Can Call and Record Kids Without their Consent” by Kira Lerner for City Lab (April 8, 2019)

“No-Show Cops and Dysfunctional Courts Keep Cook County Jail Inmates Waiting Years for a Trial” by Spencer Woodman for Chicago Reader (November 16, 2016)

PRETRIAL FAIRNESS & ENDING MONEY BAIL

“Mayor Lori Lightfoot Blasts Ad from Pro-Bailey Political Committee that ‘Darkens’ Her Image” by Dan Petrella, Jeremy Gorner, and Gregory Pratt for Chicago Tribune (August 23, 2022)

“Political Ad Condemning No Cash Bail Criticized by Proponents of New Law” by Kevin Bessler for The Center Square (August 22, 2022)

“Column: GOP, Police are Winning Messaging War Over Law that Will End Cash Bail in Illinois” by Ted Slowik for Chicago Tribune (August 17, 2022)

“Mayor’s Remarks are Anti-Justice. Here’s Why the Presumption of Innocence Matters.” op-ed by Herschella G. Conyers and Craig B. Futterman for Chicago Tribune (June 13, 2022)

“Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Cays People Charged with Violent Crimes ‘Are Guilty’ and Shouldn’t be Released on Bail Pending Trial” by Gregory Pratt for Chicago Tribune (June 7, 2022)

“END Money Bond NOW! – The IL Pretrial Fairness Act” for The Justice Beat Talk Show (March 5, 2022)

“What If? 10 Questions for Sparking Local Pretrial Change” for Pretrial Justice Institute (November 11)

“Illinois Criminal Justice Reformers Won a Historic Legislative Victory in 2021. But the Law They Passed Isn’t a Done Deal.” by Emanuella Evans, Adeshina Emmanuel, and Jonah Newman (November 3, 2021)

“Political Forum: Chicago Appleseed” by CAN TV (October 19, 2021)

“Advocates: Illinois’ Criminal Justice Reform Law Replaces ‘Irrational System’” by Colleen Reynolds for WGLT (April 28, 2021)

“Illinois’ End to Cash Bail has Activists Celebrating – and Critics Hoping for Changes” by Emily Woodbury for St. Louis Public Radio (February 23, 2021)

“Pretrial Fairness Act and the End of Money Bail” – Chicago Justice Project Show with Sarah Staudt (February 17, 2021)

“Illinois Poised to be the First State to End Wealth-Based Pre-Trial Detention” by Kiran Misra for The Guardian (January 21, 2021)

“The End of Cash Bail? Backers and Opponents Ponder the Consequences as Bill Awaits Pritzker’s Signature” by Annie Sweeney, Megan Crepeau, Dan Petrella, John Keilman, and Robert McCoppin for Chicago Tribune (January 17, 2021)

“Illinois Votes to Stop Jailing People Who Can’t Afford Bail: ‘This is Not a Just or Equitable System’” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (January 14, 2021)

“Illinois Lawmakers Vote to End Cash Bail” by Derek Cantu for NPR Illinois (January 13, 2021)

“The Illinois Legislature Just Voted to End Cash Bail. Here’s How Organizers Made it Happen” by Alice Herman for In These Times (January 13, 2021)

“Report Finds Bail Reform in Chicago Reduced Pretrial Incarceration Without Hurting Public Safety” by Ethan Corey for The Appeal (November 19, 2020)

“Pretrial Fairness Act Seeks to End Cash Bail, Promote Racial and Criminal Justice” by Angeli Mittal & Maia Pandey for The Daily Northwestern (November 19, 2020)

“‘Pretrial Fairness Act’ Would Make Illinois the First State to Abolish Cash Bail” by Jason Asenso for Injustice Watch (November 12, 2020)

“No Evidence Bond Reform is to Blame for Chicago’s Gun Violence” – Opinion by Sarah Staudt for Chicago Sun-Times (July 11, 2020)

“Court Watchers Fill Holes in Bond Data during COVID Jail Outbreak” by John Seasly for Injustice Watch (May 20, 2020)

“Illinois Appeals Court Endorses Small Counties Keeping Healthy Chunk of Bond” by Olivia Stovicek for Injustice Watch (June 12, 2018)

“No Need for Tom Dart to be Gun-Shy on Bail Reform” by Curtis Black for Chicago Reporter (March 15, 2018)

“Bond Court Reforms Lead to Record-Low Inmate Count in Cook County Jail” for NBC-Chicago (December 23, 2017)

“Cook County’s Tradition of Using Bail as Punishment may be Hard to Change” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (September 19, 2017)

“The People Who Bailed Out the King” by Bettina Chang for Chicago Magazine (December 22, 2016)

“Can an Algorithm Erase Bias in Cook County Bond Courts?” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (October 26, 2016)

“Thousands in ‘Indefinite Detention’ in Cook County Jail because They Can’t Afford Bond” by Chuck Goodie and Barb Markoff for ABC7-Chicago (October 13, 2016)

“Willie Wilson Bails Out Inmates Changed with Misdemeanors in Bid for Reform” by Grace Wong for Chicago Tribune (September 15, 2016)

“DOJ’s New Stance on Bail Bonds Won’t Help Poor Inmates in Cook County Jail” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (August 25, 2016)

“New Law Limits Jail Time for Poor Who Commit Certain Crimes” by Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux for Chicago Reporter (September 1, 2015)

PROSECUTION, DIVERSION, AND COMMUNITY COURTS

“Hundreds More Black Chicagoans are Pleading Guilty to Gun-Possession Charges. Here’s One Possible Reason Why.” by Josh McGhee for Injustice Watch (June 17, 2022)

“I Run a Bail Fund. And I Have a Message for ‘Progressive’ Prosecutors.” – Opinion by Malik Neal for The New York Times (February 4, 2021)

“What Kim Foxx’s Reelection Says About Racial Politics, Fear and Justice in Chicago and Beyond” by Patrick Smith for WBEZ (November 7, 2020)

“Progressive State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Fends Off Law-And-Order Candidates Pat O’Brien” by Patrick Smith for WBEZ (November 3, 2020)

“Has Kim Foxx Lived Up to Her Campaign Promises?” by Mari Cohen for Chicago Magazine (October 10, 2019)

“New Report Asks Defense Attorneys to Analyze Reforms from Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx” by Alexandra Arriaga for Our Prism (October 10, 2019)

“Report: Defense Attorneys Laud Shift to ‘Fairness and Accountability’ Under Kim Foxx” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (October 9, 2019)

“Report Shows Changes of Culture in State’s Attorney’s Office, Use of Discretion in Prosecution” by Nancy Harty for WBBM News Radio (October 9, 2019)

“Should Protesters Be Prosecuted? Foxx and O’Brien Differ” by Kiran Misra & Jim Daley for South Side Weekly (October 14, 2020)

“Kim Foxx’s Policies are a Step in the Right Direction” – Opinion by Stephanie Agnew for Chicago Tribune (August 13, 2020)

“State’s Attorney has Contested Vast Majority of Bond Motions Since COVID-19” by John Seasly for Injustice Watch (May 18, 2020)

“Kim Foxx Aims to Rewrite an ‘Inequitable’ Legal Justice System as Challengers Fight to Topple Her” by Mari Cohen for The Appeal (March 16, 2020)

“Jussie Smollett Case Looms Over Reelection Campaign for Chicago’s Chief Prosecutor” by Mark Guarino for The Washington Post (January 12, 2020)

“Has Kim Foxx Lived Up to Her Campaign Promises?” by Mari Cohen for Chicago Magazine (October 10, 2019)

“New Report Asks Defense Attorneys to Analyze Reforms from Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx” by Alexandra Arriaga for Our Prism (October 10, 2019)

“Report: Defense Attorneys Laud Shift to ‘Fairness and Accountability’ Under Kim Foxx” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (October 9, 2019)

“Report Shows Changes of Culture in State’s Attorney’s Office, Use of Discretion in Prosecution” by Nancy Harty for WBBM News Radio (October 9, 2019)

“Report: Kim Foxx Reforms Show Reducing Incarceration Does Not Compromise Public Safety” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (July 31, 2019)

“Report: Fewer Prisoners Sentenced Behind Bars in Foxx’s Second Year, but Crime Still Drops” by Tyrone Lomax and Maia Rosenfeld for Injustice Watch (July 30, 2019)

“Report: Incarceration Rates Drop by Nearly 20% Under Kim Foxx” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (July 30, 2019)

“Over Retailers’ Opposition, Illinois Bill to Ease Retail Theft Law Progresses” by Abigail Blachman for Injustice Watch (March 27, 2019)

“No More HOPE: Cook County Court Program Halted After Years of Problems” by Emily Hoerner & Sarah Conway for Injustice Watch (October 20, 2018)

“HOPE Court, Created to Keep Probationers Out of Prison, Shut Down Amid Problems” by Sarah Conway for Chicago Sun-Times (October 26, 2018)

“The Hustle of Kim Foxx” by Steve Bogira for The Marshall Project (October 29, 2018)

“Electing Progressive Prosecutors Isn’t Enough. Now, Activists are Holding them Accountable” by Adeshina Emmanuel (March 26, 2018)

“Court Watch NYC Volunteers Sit in Courtrooms to Monitor How Prosecutors Use Their Discretion” by Beth Schwartzapfel for ABA Journal (February 28, 2018)

“The Prosecutors” by Beth Schwartzapfel for The Marshall Project (February 26, 2018)

Civil Liberties & Police Accountability

PUBLICATIONS

CHICAGO POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY

Fear and Silence: How Culture, Policy, and the “Win At All Costs” Mentality Allows Police Testilying to Thrive [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers (January 2023)

History/Timeline of Chicago Police Reform Efforts [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed (November 2020)

“Testilying” – Police Perjury (Informational Presentation) [PPT] | Chicago Appleseed (October 2020)

Support for HB 303 SA1 (Guzzardi/Harmon) on Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform [PDF] | Civil Liberties Committee (June 2017)

Civil Liberties Committee Testimony for the Police Accountability Task Force [PDF] | Civil Liberties Committee (July 2016)

CODE OF SILENCE & COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS

Series on Police Accountability and Union Contracts | Coalition for Police Contracts Accountability (December 2019)

  1. No. 1: Barriers to Identifying Police Misconduct [PDF]

  2. No. 2: Conditions that Make Lying Easy [PDF]

  3. No. 3: Requirements that Evidence of Misconduct be Ignored or Destroyed [PDF]

  4. No. 4: Barriers to Investigating Police Misconduct [PDF]

Recommended Changes to Chicago Police Department’s Collective Bargaining Agreement [PDF] | Civil Liberties Committee (February 2017)

TECHNOLOGY

Position Statement on Stingray Technology [PDF] | Civil Liberties Committee (February 2017)

PRESS

More media coverage of our Civil Liberties & Police Accountability work can be found here.

“Parliamentary Maneuver Likely to Delay City Council Showdown on Gang Asset Forfeiture Ordinance, Mayor’s Deputy Floor Leader Says” by Fran Spielman for Chicago Sun-Times (February 22, 2022)

“Downtown Pot Sale Expansion, Police Union Contract On Tap for Last City Council Meeting before the Budget Battle” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line and Block Club Chicago (September 14, 2021)

“City Council Poised to Approve New Police Contract Despite Opposition form Civil Rights Groups” by Heather Cherone for WTTW (September 13, 2021)

“Looting, Unrest Give Way to Another Phase of Recovery in Chicago” by Amanda Vinicky for WTTW (August 11, 2020)

“Chicago Police Accountability Forum of Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and ACS-Chicago Lawyers Chapter” via CAN TV (June 30, 2020)

“Most of the People Arrested at Protests were Black” by Kiran Misra for The Chicago Reader (June 30, 2020)

“Chicago Legal Group: COPA Should Handle Sexual Misconduct Cases involving Police” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (January 21, 2020)

“Mainstream Media Supports Flawed Chicago Police Gun ‘Offender’ Data Portal” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (August 16, 2019)

“Community Activists: Take Down the Gun Offender Dashboard” by Syd Stone for Chicago Sun-Times (August 12, 2019)

“Chicago Police Chief Uses Dirty Data to Blame Gun Violence on Bond Reform” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (August 9, 2019)

“Arrestees to Get Access to Lawyers Free of Charge at Chicago Police Stations” by Steve Schmadeke for Chicago Tribune (March 14, 2017)

“No-Show Cops and Dysfunctional Courts Keep Cook County Jail Inmates Waiting Years for a Trial” by Spencer Woodman for Chicago Reader (November 16, 2016)

“Abolish the Police? Organizers say It’s Less Crazy than It Sounds” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (August 25, 2016)

Family Law & Courts

PRESS

More media coverage of our Child Support & Family Law work can be found here.

“After Legal Challenges, Cook County’s Court for Unwed Parents Quietly Goes Away” by Steve Schmadeke for Chicago Tribune (September 18, 2017)

“Court Merges Divorce, Parentage Calls” by LauraAnn Wood for Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (February 3, 2017)

Immigration Court Reform

PUBLICATIONS

Getting Off The Assembly Line: Overcoming Immigration Court Obstacles in Individual Cases [PDF] | Appleseed Network Immigration Collaborative (December 2016)

Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line [PDF] | Appleseed Network Immigration Collaborative (May 2012)

Assembly Line Injustice [PDF] | Appleseed Network Immigration Collaborative (June 2009)

Videoconferencing in Removal Proceedings: A Case Study of the Chicago Immigration Court [PDF] | Chicago Appleseed & Legal Aid Chicago (formerly Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago) (August 2005)

Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago

FINAL REPORTS

The Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago (FJLOC) program is for college students attending school full-time in the Chicago area who have a serious interest in becoming lawyers dedicated to serving justice in some way. FJLOC members work on individual and peer group projects with guidance and oversight from advisors from Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers.

2024 FINAL REPORT

Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago (July 2024): “Schools or Prisons: A Report on the Overlap of the Education Systems and the Carceral and Punishment System in Illinois” [PDF]

2023 FINAL REPORT

Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago (August 2024): “The Illinois DCFS System, Like Foster Case Systems Nationwide, is Broken: A Report on How This System Fails the Children and Families it is Intended to Protect & Recommendations for How To Start Fixing It” [PDF]