Access to Justice Archives - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Common Law Privilege Barring Civil Arrests at Courthouses Reaffirmed by General Order in Cook County & Steps for Statewide Expansion

Chief Judge Evans has issued a General Administrative Order (GAO), effective today, asserting the common law privilege against civil arrests of people attending court in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The order states that no one attending court, as a witness or otherwise, "will be subjected...

Clerk of Court Releases New Data Portal: A Crucial Step in the Right Direction

According to a candidate survey conducted by WTTW in 2024, Mariyana Spyropoulos’ “biggest goal” as Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County is to “create a professional, transparent Clerk's Office that is accessible to everyone.” In early April, the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County launche...

Support for the FAIR Act to Improve Illinois’ Public Defense Crisis

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts has proudly given our support to HB3363, also known as the Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation (FAIR) Act, which successfully passed out of the Illinois House last week. The FAIR Act would create an Office of State Public Defender in Illinois...

NEW: Second-Ever Class of the Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago Capstone Report, “School or Prisons,” Now Published

The forward, below, was written by David Schrodt, Board Member of the National Appleseed Network, Board Member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Leader of the Collaboration for Justice’s FJLOC Working Group This report is authored by the second-ever class of the Future Justice La...

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...

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