Anonymity and Integrity in Researching Judicial Performance

Recently, Chicago Appleseed was asked about unsolicited anonymous comments about judicial retention candidates and whether they play a role in the data collection for the Judicial Performance Commission of Cook County’s (the JPC) evaluations. The integrity of our data is paramount and we strive to u...
October 31, 2011

Judicial Independence, Impartiality and the Ethics of Recusal

National Public Radio ran a long piece on judicial ethics and recusal on Morning Edition this morning. The piece discussed instances in the past few years where Justices’ spouses, personal lives, or private speaking engagements caused criticism, particularly where Justices did not recuse themselves...
August 17, 2011

Recusal Standards for Judges

Finding ways to ensure the competence and integrity of the judicial system is a research and advocacy priority at Chicago Appleseed. We consider ways to advocate for improvement through our court-watching projects, the research and support we give to the Judicial Performance Commission, and in our r...
August 5, 2011

A Call for Transparency: Illinois Judicial Vacancies Should Be Made Public

This piece originally appeared at the Huffington Post. When an Illinois judge quits or retires before the end of her term, Article VI, Section 12 of the Illinois Constitution allows the Illinois Supreme Court to select her replacement. This process happens behind closed doors –the vacancy is not an...
June 24, 2011

Links of Interest

What We Read, June 13-17, 2011 Criminal Justice Court Reform: SCotUS Blog analyzes the 5-4 decision in J.D.B. v. North Carolina (.pdf), in which the Court has ruled for the first time that police must take into account the age of a youth they intend to question when deciding whether or not they m...
June 17, 2011