Latest News - 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...

Save the Date—Monday, November 10: Cultivating Seeds of Change

From policy to practice, we’re planting the seeds that transform courts, communities, and culture. Join Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual fall fundraiser on Monday, November 10 at 6:00 pm at the Ivy Room (12 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611) to ce...

The Results Are In: Forensic Labs Under Prosecutorial Control Are Problematic

UPDATE: September 29, 2025 | A previous version of this post said that if the Board of Commissioners grants the funding request, "the CCSAO would no longer rely on the ISP Crime Lab for forensic support." A representative of the State's Attorney's Office provided the following clarification: "The fo...

NEW Court-Watching Report – Evicted in the Dark: Findings & Observations from Cook County Eviction Courts

Chicago Appleseed is excited to announce the publication of Evicted in the Dark: Findings & Observations from Cook County Eviction Courts, our newest court-watching report! The report, completed with support from our partners at the Chicago Foundation for Women, relies on findings from thousa...

Statement from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice: “Illinois defends the Pretrial Fairness Act. We will not bow down to Trump.”

Yesterday, August 25, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Orders targeting jurisdictions that have implemented reforms to money bond or ended it entirely, like Illinois did in 2023 with the Pretrial Fairness Act. One order "instructs DC police to charge suspects with federal crimes and hold them...