Policy Statement on Docket Statistic Reporting

Chicago Appleseed advocates for research-driven solutions to systemic dysfunction and supports evidence-based reforms in Illinois’ courts, government and communities. Our staff and teams of pro bono professionals rely on meaningful data about Cook County’s courts in order to identify inefficiencies,...

The Clerk of the Court Should Serve the Community

The Clerk of the Court of Cook County has considered—and apparently rejected—a policy change that would have charged all parties to receive the first copy of any order issued in their case. At Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers, we are glad to learn that this policy won’t be adopte...

Access to Justice

Effective July 1, 2016, the Massachusetts bar exam will include essay questions related to access to justice issues. The questions will cover practice areas typically handled by legal aid services, self help services and pro se parties, such as Landlord-Tenant, child support, custody and divorce, as...

Judicial Election Spending

By Aswan Taylor, Intern for Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice A wave of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, culminating in last week’s McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission ruling, have diverged from the formidable pull of public sentiment and mounting research to reassert the role of financi...

Pillars of Justice

Thanks to everyone who joined us at American Junkie this week for our annual Pillars of Justice Event! We had a great time and hope you did, too. We'd particularly like to thank Kirkland & Ellis, who sponsored us at the Changemaker level, and Skadden, who sponsored us at the Innovator level. A...