Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Call to Support the Driving for Opportunity Act

The bipartisan federal Driving for Opportunity Act of 2021 creates incentives to states to end debt-based drivers’ license suspensions. It is moving through Congressional committee mark-up this month and we are hopeful it will gain sufficient support to become law. Under the Licens...

Office of the Chief Judge Forms New Committee to Examine the Domestic Violence Division

In the last few months, there has been increased public focus on the Domestic Violence Division on the Cook County Circuit Court (“DV Court”), with a growing concern that the Division is not serving the needs of people—primarily women—seeking its protection. This summer, the Cook County Commissio...

REPORT: 10 Facts about Pretrial Electronic Monitoring in Cook County

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers have released a report, 10 Facts about Pretrial Electronic Monitoring in Cook County, which catalogs data-based facts about the Cook County Sheriff’s Electronic Monitoring (EM) Program to help the public understand the...

VICTORY: Appellate Court Rules to Preserve the Sanctity of Survivor Privileges in Illinois

On Friday, July 10, Chicago Appleseed and Chicago Council of Lawyers submitted an amicus brief in the Illinois Appellate case of People v. Gomez-Ramirez (AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center, Bolingbrook, and Alexian Brothers-AHS Midwest Region Health Co., Contemnors-Appellants). Our pro bono partn...

Barriers to Justice: Identifying the Hidden Ways Survivors are Punished in Domestic Violence Court

This article was researched and written by Jenna Grace Piehl (rising fourth-year in Journalism and Legal Studies) & Mariana Leone (rising fourth year in Political Science and Theatre), Northwestern University students and Summer 2021 Communications Interns for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair C...