Links of Interest

What We Read, July 4-8, 2011 Criminal Justice Court Reform: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has been emphasizing her push to reform the  criminal justice system in Cook County. The Daily Herald reports that Chief Judge Evans believes reform can come from within the courts themselves....
July 8, 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 20-24, 2011 Immigration Reform: The US has modified its Immigration policy by raising the immigration threshold and shifting its deportation focus to immigrants who are charged with serious crimes. This switch is consistent with Chicago Appleseed and Appleseed's recommendations...
June 24, 2011

Cook County President Preckwinkle Declares “War on Drugs” a Failure

At a noontime rally in the Chicago loop last Friday, Cook County President Preckwinkle condemned the increasingly unpopular “war on drugs.”  She was the lone elected official openly criticizing the enforcement strategy, which dates back to Nixon’s presidency. Preckwinkle emphasized the excessive an...
June 20, 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