Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

An Appellate Case Concerning Fines and Fees

Chicago Appleseed and Chicago Council of Lawyers have been advocating for reform to Illinois’ system of imposing court fees, costs and fines on defendants and civil litigants for years. The systems are burdensome and arbitrary, and unfairly fund the costs of trial by burdening the state Constitution...

Due Process Must Be Protected

--Sadaf Misbah, summer fellow at Chicago Appleseed Over the weekend, President Trump proposed depriving undocumented immigrants of their due-process rights. In this message via Twitter, the President announced his intention to implement “zero tolerance” when it comes to immigrants crossing...

Illinois Takes First Step in Criminal Justice Debt Reform With Passage of HB 4594- The Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act

On May 31st, HB 4594- The Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act passed the Illinois General Assembly with broad bi-partisan support. It is currently on its way to the Governor’s desk for signing. HB 4594 reforms Illinois’ system of court costs, fines, and fees and reduces the burden of court costs, f...

Joint Statement of the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and Chicago Council of Lawyers on the recent decision in Matter of A-B-

Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers join with the immigration and domestic violence legal communities in condemning the U.S. Attorney General’s June 11, 2018 decision in Matter of A-B-, 27 I&N Dec. 315 (A.G. 2018) which reverses long-standing protections to pers...

Associate Judge Process Has Potential but Diversity Still not Optimal

Improving diversity on the bench requires critical assessment of how judges are elected and selected; citizen oversight and participation is necessary. We believe the associate judge process this year is a reminder toward vigilance in improving representation on the bench, but we do not believe it i...