Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Illinois Supreme Court Amendment to Rule 23 – A Necessary Change

On November 20, the Illinois Supreme Court amended Illinois Supreme Court Rule 23. Rule 23 originally allowed reviewing courts in Illinois to issue decisions as unpublished orders if the ruling does not establish law (is not precedential). The amendment to Rule 23 will now allow these unpublished or...

Illinois HB 163: Criminal Justice Omnibus

UPDATED: On January 13, 2020, the Illinois General Assembly voted to pass HB 3653, an amended version of HB 163, including the Pretrial Fairness Act (SFA2) which ends money bond. The Governor is expected to sign the legislation. Click here for more on the bill that passed. The criminal justic...

A Win for Public Health: IDPH’s Phase 1b of “COVID-19 Vaccination Plan” includes People in Jails and Prisons

On December 4, 2020, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) released their "COVID-19 Vaccination Plan," which indicated priority status of special groups - such as healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Troublingly, people incarcerated and corrections staff - a group...

Introducing the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

The Chicago Council of Lawyers founded the Fund for Justice in 1970 as part of their mission to help lawyers demand fairness and effectiveness in the justice system. In 1997, Fund for Justice began its collaboration with the Appleseed Network and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice was...

Letter to IDPH: Give People Incarcerated in Illinois Priority Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine

On December 21, 2020, Chicago Appleseed, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, the Coalition to End Money Bond, and over 60 other community-based organizations throughout Illinois sent a letter to Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), requesting that people incarcer...