Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

People Over Punishment: Collaboration for Justice Annual Fundraiser on November 7th
2024-11-07 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Maggiano’s Little Italy, 516 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
People Over Punishment – Thursday, November 7, 2024

Get your tickets today for the annual fall fundraiser of the Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers on November 7, 2024, at 6:00 PM at Maggiano’s Little Italy (516 N. Clark Street, Chicago).
The event will feature a keynote by the City of Chicago’s first-ever Deputy Mayor of Community Safety, Garien Gatewood, and an interactive conversation with the Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers research team, Naomi Johnson, Austin Segal, and Elizabeth Monkus, who will present on our 2024 research and advocacy efforts to put people over punishment.
We will discuss how civil asset forfeiture, electronic monitoring, criminalization of gun possession and other aspects of the legal system are related systems of oppression that disproportionately impact low-income Chicagoans. We will discuss how our work aims to disrupt these systems and put people first. We will also highlight some key topics we will continue to research into 2025. Learn more about the event and the speakers here.

Go to chicagoappleseed.org/tickets to purchase your tickets today!
To help sustain our work, you can also purchase a tax-deductible sponsorship at chicagoappleseed.org/sponsor.

Please reach out to Ali Longbottom at ali@chicagoappleseed.org if you have questions about our sponsorship options.

Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC) Quarterly Meeting
2024-09-19 12:30 - 13:30 | Online
The Collaboration for Justice program committees of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers meet quarterly to assist with our research and advocacy projects that identify and address systemic issues.
The Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC) will have it’s quarterly meeting on Thursday, September 19, 2024, from 12:30–1:30 PM.
To attend the CJAC meeting, please contact us at faircourts@chicagoappleseed.org.

Click here to learn more about the Collaboration for Justice program committees.

Civil Courts Committee (C3) Quarterly Meeting
2024-09-05 15:00 - 16:00 | Online
The Collaboration for Justice program committees of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers meet quarterly to assist with our research and advocacy projects that identify and address systemic issues.
The Civil Courts Committee (C3) will have it’s quarterly meeting on Thursday, September 5, 2025, from 3:00-4:00 PM.
To attend the C3 meeting, please contact us at faircourts@chicagoappleseed.org.

Click here to learn more about the Collaboration for Justice program committees.

July 18, 2024 | Creating the Future of Justice Summer Social
2024-07-18 18:00 - 21:00 | Bridge 410, 410 N Paulina, Chicago, IL
On Thursday, July 18, 2024, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers will host a summer social celebrating our Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago and the people who make the program possible! Join us and the next generation of justice-minded advocates, their lawyer advisors, family, and friends at Bridge 410 (410 N Paulina Street).
We’ll have food trucks, drinks, lawn games, and a silent raffle and auction starting at 6:00 PM. Family members of any age are welcome!
📌 Get your tickets here.
📌 Click here to become a sponsor. Details about sponsorships can be found here.

October 26, 2023 | Collaboration for Justice Founder's Impact Fundraiser
2023-10-26 18:00 - 21:00 | Ivy Room Chicago, 12 East Ohio Street, Unit 100, Chicago, 60611, United States
Founder’s Impact Fundraiser
Join the Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual fundraiser on on October 26, 2023, at the Ivy Room in Chicago (12 East Ohio Street). For this year’s annual celebration, we will honor the team at Loevy & Loevy with our Commitment to Justice Award and celebrate several influential partners in the Collaboration for Justice’s history with our Founder’s Impact Award.

Click here to purchase your ticket for the event.

Your sponsorship supports our work to find anti-racist solutions to systematic systemic injustices and fight for their implementation. Your sponsorship is tax-deductible, less the cost of dinner for attendees.

Click here to purchase a sponsorship.

Commitment to Justice Awards
2023-06-08 18:00 - 21:00
Join Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers on Thursday, June 8, 2023, we will gather at the Ivy Room (12 East Ohio Street, Chicago) for our annual Commitment to Justice Awards to honor community and pro bono partners who have shown extraordinary commitments to racial and economic justice:

Commitment to Justice Award: Illinois State Senator Robert Peters
Partner in Justice Award: Matt McLoughlin, organizer with the Coalition to End Money Bond & Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice
Pro Bono Dedication Awards: DLA Piper, Kirkland & Ellis, and Lotis Blue Consulting

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts Board Member and author of Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America’s Largest Criminal Court (2017) and The Waiting Room (2018), Dr. Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, will give the keynote address at the event.
Information about the event is included below:

When: Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Where: Ivy Room Chicago (12 East Ohio Street, Chicago, IL 60611)
Register: Click here or go to ChicagoAppleseed.org/Register to purchase individual tickets. Individual ticket prices range from $25 to $200 per person on a sliding scale.

Want to support us this June as an event sponsor? Click here or go to ChicagoAppleseed.org/Sponsor to support.

Annual Luncheon: Cheers to 25 Years!
2022-10-25 11:30 - 13:30 | River Roast, 315 N LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Cheers to 25 years!
On Tuesday, October 25, join the Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual meeting. This year, we are especially excited to celebrate Chicago Appleseed’s 25th anniversary.
The luncheon reception will include a panel discussion, moderated by Laura Washington (Contributing Columnist for the Chicago Tribune & Political Analyst for ABC-7 Chicago) – who we will present with the Lifetime Achievement Award – and featuring Dr. Matt Epperson (Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice & Director of the Smart Decarceration Project), Dr. Julian Thompson (Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law, and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago), and Garien Gatewood (Chicago Appleseed Board Member & Director of the Illinois Justice Project).
The Collaboration will present Chicago Appleseed Board Member Dr. Mary Pattillo, Harold Washington Professor of Sociology & Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Northwestern University, with our Commitment to Justice Award.

When: Tuesday, October 25, 2022 @ 11:30 AM
Where: River Roast, 315 N LaSalle St, Chicago, IL 60654
Register: Click here or go to ChicagoAppleseed.org/Register to purchase individual tickets.
Sponsor: Click here or go to ChicagoAppleseed.org/Sponsor to become a sponsor.

Click here for the event flyer.

Annual Forum on Chicago Police Accountability
2022-07-28 12:00 - 14:00 | CollaborationForJusticce.org
ANNUAL FORUM ON CHICAGO POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY

When? Thursday, July 28 @ 12:00 PM (CT)
Where? Online – Registrants will be sent link in advance to livestream the event.
CLE Credit? For Illinois lawyers, 1.25 hours of CLE credit will be available at the end of the program.
Registration? Click here tor register for the forum.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

Sheila Bedi, Clinical Professor of Law at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & Director of the Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic
Max Caproni, Executive Director of the Chicago Police Board
Adam Gross, Executive Director of Chicago’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
Andrea Kersten, Chief Administrator of Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA)

MODERATOR:

Sharon Fairley, Professor from Practice, University of Chicago Law School

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EVENT FLYER.

Seeds of Justice Event
2022-06-21 18:00 - 21:00
On June 21, 2022, at 6:00 PM, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers hosted their Seeds of Justice event, which honored Sharone Mitchell, Jr., the Cook County Public Defender, for his commitment to ensuring equitable and accessible justice for all people in Cook County.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH SHARONE MITCHELL, JR.’S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH.
Former Inspector General for the City of Chicago, Joe Ferguson, gave the keynote address.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH JOE FERGUSON’S KEYNOTE PRESENTATION.

Click here for the event flyer.

LIVE WEBINAR - Administrative Law Hearings: The Central Panel Adjudication Model (Illinois State Bar Association)
2022-04-01 13:25 - 16:00 | Online
Live Webcast
Friday, April 1, 2022, 1:25 – 4:05 PM.
Click here for link to register.
Presented by the ISBA Administrative Law Section. Co-sponsored by the ISBA Local Government Law Section, Illinois Association of Administrative Law Judges, and the Illinois Bureau of Administrative Hearings.
2.50 hours MCLE credit, including 0.50* hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, or Legal Ethics
Join us from the comfort of your home or office for this in-depth look at the central panel adjudication model which is designed to ensure that administrative law judges are employed separately from the agencies that they serve in an effort to provide fair and unbiased judicial decisions. Administrative law attorneys, government lawyers, and judges who attend this online seminar will better understand:

What central panels are, as well as their benefits and downfalls;
The categories of issues adjudicated in a central panel;
The training that the City of Chicago hearing officers must undergo;
How (and why) the Cook County Department of Administrative Hearings was created;
How Illinois’ newest central panel was created by the Governor’s Executive Order 2017-04;
How you can participate through subcommittee work;
What the American Bar Association is doing to encourage Congress to establish a federal central panel; and
Much more.

Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Christopher B. Cohen, Cohen Law Firm, P.C., Glencoe
1:25 – 1:30 PM Welcome and Introductions
Barbara J. Bell, BJ Bell Law LLC, Libertyville
1:30 – 2:00 PM What Are Central Panels?*
Gain a better understanding of what central panels are, the history behind the movement, and the pros, cons, and benefits of them with this informative opening segment.
Malcom Rich, Chicago Appleseed, Chicago
2:00 – 3:45 PM Panel Presentations

Illinois’ Oldest Central Panel – Hon. Patricia Jackowiak, City of Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings, Chicago
The History and Creation of the Cook County Department of Administrative Hearings – Marc M. Hamilton, Director, Cook County Administrative Hearings, Chicago
Illinois’ Newest Central Panel – Katy Straub, Deputy Director, CMS Bureau of Administrative Hearings, Chicago
The Federal Central Panel Movement and the Lessons Learned – John Allen, Grant Law LLC, Chicago

3:45 – 4:00 PM National Trends and Summary
Don’t miss this closing segment as we explore the recommended decision vs. final decision authority and how to obtain access to the administrative courts (including by self-represented litigants). A discussion on how competency and implicit bias training is being implemented is also included.
Malcom Rich, Chicago Appleseed, Chicago
4:00 – 4:05 PM Closing Remarks/Wrap Up
Barbara J. Bell, BJ Bell Law LLC, Libertyville

KEYNOTES | Attorney General Kwame Raoul & Chief Justice Anne Burke: Eliminating Disparities in Illinois Courts
2021-10-19 12:00 - 13:00 | CollaborationForJusticce.org
Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers work together in a Collaboration for Justice to promote fair, accessible, and anti-racist courts. Every year, we gather for an annual meeting in October. This year, join our staff and allies for a two-part series focused on how we’re collaboratively identifying and fighting hidden injustices people face as they navigate the legal system. Click here for the event flyer.
On October 5, our Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney, Sarah Staudt, will be joined by Illinois State Senator Robert Peters and Garien Gatewood of the Illinois Justice Project to discuss the Pretrial Fairness Act, how it came about, what challenges we face for implementation, and why abolishing money bail is essential to racial, gender, and economic justice. For Illinois lawyers who pre-register for the October 5 panel, 1.25 hours of CLE credit is available. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR OCTOBER 5.
Then, on October 19, we will feature two keynote speakers: first, Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul will discuss what the judicial, legislative, and executive responsibilities are in eliminating disparities and improving the Illinois Courts; then, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, Honorable Anne Burke, will discuss judicial redistricting in Illinois, the Illinois Supreme Court’s new centralized approach to pretrial programs, and what the judiciary can do to help ensure accessible justice for all. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR OCTOBER 19.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul was sworn in as the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois in January 2019. Born in Chicago to Haitian immigrants, AG Raoul brings a lifetime of legal and policy experience, advocacy, and public service to the Office of the Attorney General. As the state’s chief legal and law enforcement officer, Attorney General Raoul has worked to reduce the long-lasting effects of violence and provide support to survivors of violent crime and their families by improving Illinois’ Crime Victims Compensation Program to ensure that the process is trauma-informed and reaches all communities across the state that are affected by violence. He also increased the funding for grants under the Violent Crime Victims Assistance Program, which provides financial support to government and nonprofit social service agencies throughout Illinois that offer services to victims and witnesses of violent crime. In addition to these community safety efforts, Attorney General Raoul has focused on enhancing collaboration between the Attorney General’s Office and federal and local law enforcement agencies; has taken a leadership role in addressing the unique, multijurisdictional issues that have arisen through the COVID-19 pandemic; has utilized a multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach to protect children from online threats; and much more. AG Raoul has engaged in multistate efforts to defend access to quality health care for all, to defend consumer protections, to protect our natural resources from rollbacks of environmental protections, to fight for immigration policies that do not separate children from their families; and has been a leader in defending and protecting the rights of working people in Illinois. Before he was elected as Attorney General in November 2018, Attorney General Raoul spent 14 years serving as a state senator representing the 13th legislative district. As a senator, Raoul led negotiations and sponsored many significant measures that became law, including those to abolish the death penalty, to require mandatory background checks on private transfers of guns, as well as law enforcement and criminal justice reform, workers’ compensation reform, and some of the strongest voting rights protections in the nation.
Chief Justice Anne M. Burke is a member of the Illinois Supreme Court representing the First Judicial District. She was appointed to the Supreme Court on July 6, 2006, was elected in 2008, and was retained in November 2018. In September 2019, she was elected by her colleagues to serve as Chief Justice and on October 26, 2019 her three-year term as Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court commenced. Her judicial career began in 1987 with an appointment to the Illinois Court of Claims by Governor Jim Thompson and a later reappointment by Governor Jim Edgar. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice Burke served on the Appellate bench until July 5, 2006. Before serving on the Illinois Appellate Court, Justice Burke was Special Counsel for Child Welfare Services under Governor Jim Edgar and was a member of his Legislative Committee on Juvenile Justice. She provided in-depth leadership in reshaping and improving the Illinois juvenile justice system. Prior to her judicial career, Justice Burke was a physical education teacher with the Chicago Park District where she worked with children with learning differences. Having recognized the positive impact that sports had on her students, she championed the idea of a city-wide competition, which ultimately led to the creation of the Chicago Special Olympics in 1968 — growing later to become the International Special Olympics, reaching tens of millions of people in 192 nations across the globe. She later served as a Director of the International Special Olympics and remains involved with the Chicago Special Olympics to this day. Between 2002-2004, Justice Burke served as Interim Chair, directing the efforts of the National Review Board of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in its investigation of the causes and effects of the clerical sexual abuse scandal and helped to establish guidelines and policies for effectively responding to this scandal. She currently serves on the Executive Steering Committee of Kennedy Forum Illinois.

CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR OUR OCTOBER EVENTS.

PANEL | Beyond the End of Bail: Where are we and what’s next for pretrial fairness?
2021-10-05 12:00 - 13:30 | CollaborationForJusticce.org
Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers work together in a Collaboration for Justice to promote fair, accessible, and anti-racist courts. Every year, we gather for an annual meeting in October. This year, join our staff and allies for a two-part series focused on how we’re collaboratively identifying and fighting hidden injustices people face as they navigate the legal system. Click here for the event flyer.
On October 5, our Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney, Sarah Staudt, will be joined by Illinois State Senator Robert Peters and Garien Gatewood of the Illinois Justice Project to discuss the Pretrial Fairness Act, how it came about, what challenges we face for implementation, and why abolishing money bail is essential to racial, gender, and economic justice. For Illinois lawyers who pre-register for the event, 1.25 hours of CLE credit is available. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR OCTOBER 5.

Sarah Staudt has been the Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney for Criminal Justice matters at Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts since 2018. Sarah graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2013. Before coming to work with Chicago Appleseed, Sarah was an Equal Justice Works Fellow and criminal defense attorney with the Lawndale Christian Legal Center (LCLC) where she represented juveniles and young adults in the Cook County Criminal Courts. During her time at Chicago Appleseed, Sarah has focused on pretrial court reform issues through our work as a member of the Coalition to End Money Bond and was instrumental in the drafting and advocating for the groundbreaking Pretrial Fairness Act, which passed in 2021. The Pretrial Fairness Act makes Illinois the first state to fully end money bail and restructure the pretrial justice system. Sarah also leads Chicago Appleseed’s other criminal legal reform work, such as projects focused on electronic detention, abolishing overly punitive sentencing systems, and promoting court system efficiency, fairness, and accountability.
Garien Gatewood joined the Illinois Justice Project in April 2019 and became the Director in 2021. As part of the Illinois Justice Project, he has been involved in the work of the Coalition to End Money Bond. Previously, he was the Director of Policy Advocacy at the Juvenile Justice Initiative, where his work focused on legislation on both local and state levels with a focus on the rights of children, detention reform, eliminating youth homelessness, juvenile expungement, and reentry. Prior to JJI, Gatewood earned his law degree from the University of Mississippi and worked for the Children’s Law Center focused on reentry services for youth throughout Ohio and Northern Kentucky. During his time in law school, he clerked with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Mississippi Innocence Project. Currently, Garien Gatewood sits on Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board, the National Juvenile Justice Network’s Membership Advisory Council, the Board of Directors for Restore Justice Illinois, and the Board of Directors for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.
State Senator Robert Peters is a proud South Sider and an even prouder Chicagoan. His passion for public service was cultivated by numerous events throughout his life that left a profound impact on him and the people he cares about. He was born deaf and with a massive speech impediment to a biological mother addicted to drugs and alcohol. His struggles with health and environment in early childhood led to difficulties, but Senator Peters credits his public school teachers and administrators for checking on and guiding him, and gained full hearing ability by the time he was 8 and full speech capability by the time he was 12. Senator Peters’ adopted mother and father were a social worker and a civil rights lawyer, respectively, which helped inspire his mission to fight for criminal justice reform. After college, he started as a community and political organizer back home in Chicago and successfully fought to require Cook County judges to set affordable bail amounts for all defendants, leading to a substantial reduction in the Cook County Jail population since it took effect in July 2017. As a State Senator, Peters has continued advocating for pretrial justice, working hand-in-hand with the Coalition to End Money Bond and was a chief sponsor of the SAFE-T Act (IL Public Act 101-0652), which will end money bail in 2023 and includes a range of other criminal system and policing reforms. In the 102nd General Assembly, Senator Peters will serve as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee and as a member of the Criminal Law, Environment and Conservation, Health, Human Rights, Labor, and Revenue Committees.

Then, on October 19, we will feature two keynote speakers: first, Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul will discuss what the judicial, legislative, and executive responsibilities are in eliminating disparities and improving the Illinois Courts; then, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, Honorable Anne Burke, will discuss judicial redistricting in Illinois, the Illinois Supreme Court’s new centralized approach to pretrial programs, and what the judiciary can do to help ensure accessible justice for all. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR OCTOBER 19.

CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR OUR OCTOBER EVENTS.

Criminal Justice Advisory Committee Monthly Meeting
2021-08-19 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom – Video Conference
The Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC) meets on the third Thursday of every month from 12 – 1:30 PM (CST) to discuss strategies to bring about meaningful, permanent change to our criminal justice system. Click here for more.
NOTE: The CJAC meeting information changes monthly. To receive the most up-to-date call-in information for the meeting, please fill out this form.

Civil Liberties & Police Accountability Committee Monthly Meeting
2021-08-13 12:00 - 13:30 | Teleconference
The Civil Liberties & Police Accountability Committee typically meets on the second Friday of every month from 12 – 1:30 PM (CST) to discuss civil liberties issues that are both local and national in scope—including police accountability in Chicago. Click here for more.
NOTE: Call-in information for Civil Liberties Committee Meetings may change monthly. To receive up-to-date information and monthly meeting agendas, fill out this form.

Access to Justice Committee Monthly Meeting
2021-08-10 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom – Video Conference
Our Access to Justice Committee typically meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 12:00 PM (CST) to identify ineffective, inefficient, and unfair court management policies and procedures and discuss strategies and recommended improvements. Click here for more.
NOTE: Access to Justice Committee Meetings times/call-in information may change monthly. Please fill out this form to make sure you receive the most up-to-date information about each meeting.

Family Law Committee Monthly Meeting
2021-08-03 15:00 - 16:30 | Zoom – Video Conference
The Family Law Committee typically meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 3 PM (CST) to examine issues of domestic relations, child support enforcement, and domestic violence in Cook County. Click here for more.
NOTE: Family Law Committee Meeting times/call-in information frequently changes. Please fill out this form to make sure you receive the most up-to-date information about monthly meetings.

Don’t Believe the Hype: Cutting Through False Narratives and Protecting Pretrial Justice Reforms
2021-07-28 18:00 - 19:30 | Online – TBD
Don’t Believe the Hype: Cutting Through False Narratives and Protecting Pretrial Justice Reforms
When: July 28, 2021 @ 6 PM
Where: Register now and you’ll get a link to access the event emailed to you on the morning of July 28: https://forms.gle/jQu1uzs4gW2XqEFV9
What: False narratives about the impact of Cook County’s efforts to reform the pretrial justice system have permeated the airwaves this summer. While Chicago Police Superintendent Brown and Mayor Lightfoot have consistently tried to tie gun violence to pretrial justice reform, a wealth of academic research has proved that these claims are not true. On Wednesday, July 28th at 6pm, the Coalition to End Money Bond will be joined by Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, Jr., Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, and Emmett Sanders of MediaJustice to get the facts about pretrial justice reforms and discuss what real community safety looks like.
Click here for more information about the Pretrial Fairness Act and our work to End Money Bond.

Public Hearing - Illinois Supreme Court Statutory Court Fees Task Force
2021-07-13 10:00 - 13:00 | Online – YouTube
Public Hearing – Illinois Supreme Court Statutory Court Fees Task Force
On July 13, 2021, at 10:00 AM (CT), the Illinois Supreme Court Statutory Court Fees Task Force will hold a public hearing (via Zoom) on the following topics:

Fiscal impact of the Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act (CTAA) and related Supreme Court rules pertaining to fees and costs imposed on parties to civil, criminal, and traffic proceedings;

How to address issues that have arisen with respect to implementation of the above CTAA measures;

Issues not addressed by the CTAA, including waivers in traffic cases, juvenile cases, the elimination of assessments in criminal cases with long sentences; and

Data reporting on the imposition, collection, and waivers of court costs and fees.

Click here for the Notice of Public Hearing (July 13, 2021), which includes information about how to provide written or oral testimony.
More information about the Supreme Court’s Task Force can be found on our blog. Click here to learn about the Criminal and Traffic Assessments Act (CTAA).

Annual Police Accountability Forum
2021-06-22 12:00 - 14:00 | CollaborationForJusticce.org
Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the American Constitution Society (ACS) – Chicago Lawyers Chapter are hosting a forum on police accountability focused on issues facing residents of Chicago. This year’s panel will cover issues related to accountability, transparency, and community oversight of the Chicago Police Department; implications of the recent SAFE-T Act, which includes provisions related to policing and the criminal legal system; and improvements for the future focused on racial equity and fairness. Click here for the event flyer.
1.25 hours of CLE credit available for Illinois lawyers.
CLICK HERE TO RSVP.
Moderated by Sharon Fairley, Professor from Practice at the University of Chicago Law School.

Sharon Fairley has taught courses on criminal procedure, legal ethics, and public corruption at the University of Chicago Law School since 2015, becoming a Professor from Practice in 2019. Before joining the Law School, Ms. Fairley held positions as a federal prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and the First Deputy Inspector General and General Counsel for the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General. Following the police murder of Laquan McDonald in 2015, Sharon Fairley served as the Chief Administrator of the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) and then helped create and build Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).

Participants:
Andrea Kersten, Interim Chief Administrator, Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA)

Andrea Kersten is the Interim Chief Administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). Ms. Kersten has been an integral part of COPA’s leadership team for over five years, beginning her work at COPA in the legal department as the Chief Investigative Law Officer and later becoming the Chief of Investigative Operations. Andrea Kersten has previously served as a domestic violence advocate, an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, and an Administrative Law Judge for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and has been instrumental in forming COPA’s Special Victims Unit, a group of specialized investigators dedicated to victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. In 2020, Ms. Kersten helped form COPA’s Protest/Civil Unrest Unit, which is organized to address mass protest-related complaints against the Chicago Police Department.

Deborah Witzburg, Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety, Chicago Office of the Inspector General (OIG)

Deborah Witzburg is the Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety for the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Before taking this position in 2020, Ms. Witzburg’s roles with the OIG included advising on legal and constitutional matters related to OIG’s oversight of Chicago’s police and police accountability agencies; leading efforts to screen and review closed police disciplinary cases as well as evaluations of COPA, BIA, and the Police Board; and providing legal and strategic counsel for investigations of misconduct by City of Chicago employees. Deborah Witzburg has also worked for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in the Community Justice Center, focusing on prevention programs in partnership with schools, senior citizen groups, and neighborhood organizations.

Jamie Kalven, Founder & Director, Invisible Institute

Jamie Kalven is a writer and executive director of the Invisible Institute, a non-profit news agency that reports stories that surface abuses of power. Mr. Kalven was the plaintiff in Kalven v. Chicago (2014), in which the Illinois appellate court ruled that documents bearing on allegations of police misconduct are public information. His reporting in Slate in 2015 first brought the police shooting of Laquan McDonald to public attention; and he co-produced 16 Shots, an Emmy-winning documentary on the McDonald case. In 2016, he published a series titled “Code of Silence” in The Intercept that exposed the criminal activities of a team of corrupt Chicago Police Department officers and has contributed to the exonerations of more than seventy-five individuals.

Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, Roger Pascal Legal Director ACLU of Illinois

Nusrat Jahan Choudhury has been the Roger Pascal Legal Director at the ACLU of Illinois since January 2020. Nusrat oversees the development and execution of strategic litigation against assaults on civil rights and civil liberties from Washington, DC, and leads a team working to advance civil liberties and human rights in Illinois. Prior to joining the ACLU of Illinois, Nusrat Jahan Choudhury served as Deputy Director of the national ACLU Racial Justice Program and as a staff attorney in the ACLU National Security Project, working on a range of important matters, including: litigation and advocacy to end debtors’ prisons; helping to launch federal litigation and related advocacy against racial profiling and unlawful stops in Milwaukee’s stop-and-frisk program; challenging the FBI’s targeting of Black activists based on race and speech; challenging national security practices that improperly target Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities; and more.

Oral Arguments - People v. Gomez-Ramirez (AMITA Health and Alexian Brothers)
2021-06-16 10:00 - 17:00
Oral Arguments – People v. Gomez-Ramirez (Case No. 3-20-0121)
On Friday, July 10, 2020, Chicago Appleseed and Chicago Council of Lawyers submit 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., Contemners-Appellants). Our pro bono partners at DLA Piper served as counsel for the amicus brief, filed in support of AMITA Health. At issue in our briefing was the State’s Attorney’s improper assertion of a right to search the victim’s health records, based on mere supposition about the contents of the records.
We sought leave to file an amicus as part of our role in monitoring State’s Attorneys’ offices and reporting on the status of prosecution in Illinois.
Briefing has finally concluded in the case and oral arguments are scheduled to begin on June 16 at 9:00 AM. These arguments will take place via Zoom and, as expected, Amici will not argue.
To view the Call of the Docket, visit http://www.illinoiscourts.gov. Under the heading Appellate Court, select Oral Argument Calendars, then Third District, then the session for June 16, 2021 at 9:00 AM. The case number is 3-20-0121.

Keynote: Dr. Traci Burch (Virtual Pro Bono Spotlight)
2021-05-19 12:00 - 13:00
Virtual Pro Bono Spotlight Event – Keynote: Dr. Traci Burch

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 (12-1:30 PM) – Keynote Presentation

Traci Burch, PhD, Associate Professor, Northwestern University Department of Political Science & Research Professor, American Bar Foundation

Click here to RSVP for the May 19 keynote.

Our digital events will be hosted on CollaborationForJustice.org.
May 2021: Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers are launching a two-part virtual Spotlight Event to celebrate the strides toward justice we and our collaboration partners have made in the past year. Without our community and coalition partners; pro bono teams from over a dozen firms and law schools; loyal donors and funders; and hundreds of individual volunteers, none of our work would be possible. Click here for more information.
To sponsor the Collaboration for Justice Spring Pro Bono Spotlight Event, click here.

Criminal Justice Panel (Virtual Pro Bono Spotlight)
2021-05-12 12:00 - 13:30
Virtual Pro Bono Spotlight Event – Criminal Justice Panel

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 (12-1:30 PM) – Criminal Justice Panel

Panelists: Sarah Staudt, Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers; Cathryn Crawford, Lawndale Christian Legal Center; April Preyar, Schiller Preyar Jarard & Samuels Law; Sharone Mitchell, Jr., Cook County Public Defender, and Tanya Woods, Westside Justice Center.

1.25 hours MCLE credit available.

Click here to RSVP for the May 12 panel.

Our digital events will be hosted on CollaborationForJustice.org.
May 2021: Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers are launching a two-part virtual Spotlight Event to celebrate the strides toward justice we and our collaboration partners have made in the past year. Without our community and coalition partners; pro bono teams from over a dozen firms and law schools; loyal donors and funders; and hundreds of individual volunteers, none of our work would be possible. Click here for more information.
To sponsor the Collaboration for Justice Spring Pro Bono Spotlight Event, click here.

Access To Justice Program Committee
2019-02-28 09:00 - 10:00
For details, please email caffj@chicagoappleseed.org

Immigration Court Reform Program Committee
2019-02-27 02:30 - 03:15

Criminal Justice Advisory Committee
2019-02-21 06:00 - 07:30

Family Law Program Committee
2019-02-08 09:00 - 10:30

Criminal Justice Advisory Committee Meeting
2018-12-20 06:00 - 07:30 | Miller Shakman & Beem, 189 N. LaSalle Suite 3600, Chicago, IL, United States
