Policy Statements
Avery v. State Farm: Balancing Judicial Campaign Finance and the Need for Recusal Standards
November 30, 2011
Chicago Appleseed and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform submitted an amicus brief, written by pro bono attorneys at DLA Piper, to the Illinois Supreme Court as it reconsidered Avery v. State Farm.
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The Case for A Diversion Division: Court Reform is Cost Reform
January 31, 2011
New Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has called for substantial budget cuts to combat a budget deficit of nearly 500 million dollars. Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers have been working with Chief Judge Tim Evans, the Cook County Sheriff, the Cook County Public Defender's Office, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, Cook County Adult Probation, and Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer and her staff to develop a proposed Diversion Court System which is projected to provide meaningful financial benefits to the Criminal Division of the Circuit Court and related agencies.
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A Proposal to Strengthen Family and Community Engagement within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
August 03, 2010
While the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education act calls for increased parental and community engagement in our schools, it falls short on the necessary details of how to accomplish these goals. Chicago Appleseed has drafter a comprehensive proposal outlining the steps required to ensure that this mandate is achieved. To read the full proposal, click here.
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Immigration Court FOIA Reform
July 21, 2010
To mount a proper defense, immigration court defendants need access to government files regarding their case. The government, however, needlessly delays releasing these files, with devastating consequences such as inadequate defense preparation and prolonged detention away from family. Click here to learn more about this inexcusable bureaucratic process, and Chicago Appleseed's mission to stop it.
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Proposal for Judicial Campaign Contribution Disclosure
July 21, 2010
In order to maintain the highest ethical standards in Illinois's system of electing judges, it's crucial that citizens know where judges' campaign contributions come from. Click here to join Chicago Appleseed's call for an open, transparent, and government-maintained posting of all judicial campaign contributions now.
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Chicago Appleseed Calls for Immigration Court Reform
February 16, 2010
...(T)here are many fine immigration judges and government attorneys working in this underfunded and yet critically important judicial system. But we heard of too many cases in which judges would engage in verbal abuse, mocking a pro bono attorney for being a "New York big firm do-gooder" or yelling at an immigrant for not looking him in the eye, not understanding that eye contact was inappropriate in the immigrant's culture. We heard repeatedly that training of immigration judges is inadequate. In one case, responding to an immigrant's claim that he faced persecution as a result of sexual orientation, a judge declared that the immigrant "didn't look gay" and denied asylum...
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A Report to the Members, Donors, and Friends: 2009/2010 Project Accomplishments and Status
February 03, 2010
It is my privilege to report to the members, donors, and friends of the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers what our organizations are accomplishing independently and collaboratively. --Malcolm C. Rich, Executive Director
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It is Time to Reform the Assembly Line Injustice of our Immigration Courts
June 10, 2009
Our immigration courts are too often assembly lines dispensing injustice - a system that mistreats immigrants and at the same time wastes valuable public resources. It is time to bring reforms to this huge bureaucracy so that immigration courts can become a proud part of the American justice system instead of a dysfunctional backwater.
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A Call for Reform in Central Bond Court
September 05, 2008
It was reported in the September 2, 2008 edition of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin that U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall ordered Sheriff Tom Dart to determine the eligibility of defendants for electronic monitoring while on home detention. Dart's attorney replied that the sheriff does not have the necessary information to make that eligibility decision. This conflict is part of a long-running class action lawsuit over jail overcrowding, but the consequences go beyond the simple calculation of whether there are enough beds at Cook County Jail.
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County Board urged to scrap resolution to dismiss public defender
April 17, 2008
...(T)he proposed resolution contains several allegations. It is clear, however, that the primary concern is that Burnette recently filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of County Board President Todd H. Stroger's interference with the operation of the public defender's office.
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