Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

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...

Capstone Event for the Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago

On August 8, the Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago (FJLOC) held its Capstone Luncheon at the offices of ArentFox Schiff. About 60 persons attended this hybrid event where we offered our congratulations to the 50 undergraduate and high school students who completed the FJLOC program. Our goal is to c...

Governor Pritzker has Signed HB 1628 into Law, Strengthening Data Collection & Transparency in Civil Asset Forfeiture Practices

https://www.chicagoappleseed.org/2025/05/27/hb1628-a-step-toward-enhancing-data-collection-and-transparency-in-reporting-civil-asset-forfeiture/ On Friday, August 15th, 2025, Governor Pritzker signed HB1628 into law with an effective date of January 1st, 2026. The legislation, led by State Repre...