Chicago Appleseed and Coalition Media Coverage
“One Year In: Chicago Police District Councils Face Discord Amid Slow Steps Toward Community Oversight” for Chicago Tribune (April 7)
“Eileen O’Neill Burke: How She Won and What It Might Mean for the Office of Cook County’s Top Prosecutor Going Forward” for Chicago Tribune (April 7)
“Inside the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Brady Lists” for Chicago Reader (March 11)
“Nearly 9 in 10 State-Level Primaries Give Illinois Voters No Choice in Candidates” for WTTW (March 4)
“Election 2024: How To Vote For Judges In The Illinois Primary” for Patch (March 3)
“Court Clerk’s Error Exposed Data Involving Thousands of Juvenile Defendants, Violating State Law” for Block Club Chicago (February 26)
“WBEZ Newscast for Friday, February 23, 2024, 3:00 PM” for WBEZ Chicago (February 23)
“Restorative Justice Program has Enjoyed Some Success, Report Says” for WBBM NewsRadio (February 22)
“New Report Highlights Restorative Justice Practice, but Finds Cook County’s Courts Could Improve” for NBC Chicago (February 22)
“New Report Critiques Cook County’s Experimental Neighborhood Courts, Recommends Reforms Before Expansion” for Chicago Tribune (February 22)
“Pritzker Gears Up for Super Tuesday” for Politico (February 5)
“SAFE-T Act Data Collection Begins Behind Schedule” for Better Government Association (January 30)
“Illinois Justice System Begins to See Impacts Four Months After Eliminating Cash Bail” for The Daily Northwestern (January 18)
“Challenging the Criminalization of Trauma Survivors” for Teen Vogue (January 12)
“Illinois Advocates Push for Reform Beyond Ending Cash Bail” by Tamar Sarai for Prism Reports (December 28)
“Illinois’ Home Confinement Law Faces Continued Challenges 2 Years After It Goes Into Effect” by Noah Berlatsky for Prism Reports (December 27)
“Reimagining Justice” for A Second Chance Podcast: Stories of Young Offenders (December 18)
“Chicago City Council Rejects Private Arbitration for Police Firings and Long Suspensions” by Chip Mitchell for WBEZ (December 13)
“How Chicago’s Electronic Monitoring Program Fails Women and Domestic Violence Survivors” by Katie Schulder-Battis for The Appeal (November 30)
“Mayor Johnson’s Budget Relies on Tens of Millions in Additional Fines” by A.D. Quig for Chicago Tribune (November 20)
“How We Ended Cash Bail in Illinois” by Will Tanzman for The Nation (November 15)
“Cash Bail is Over but the Practice Still Continues to Affect Black and Brown Communities” by Kennedy Vincent for Illinois Public Radio (November 8)
“The End Of Money Bond Hasn’t Led To An Electronic Monitoring Spike In Chicago—For Now” by Pascal Sabino for Chicago Reader (October 25)
“First Month of Bail Reform: Challenges, Benefits and a Reduced Jail Population in Cook County” by Madeline Buckley for Chicago Tribune (October 15)
“Judges Challenge Police Credibility in Court” by Max Blaisdell for Chicago Reader (October 10)
“Cash Bail Ends in Illinois, How Will Things Change?” by Micahaela Brant for The Progressive Magazine (October 4)
“Illinois Becomes First State to Eliminate Cash Bail; Rural Counties Face Implementation Challenges” by Samantha Moilanen for The DePaulia (October 1)
“Dying While in the County’s Care” by Shawn Mulcahy for Chicago Reader (September 20)
“How Copaganda Works: The Media Helps Police Amplify Misleading Narratives Around Crime” for Teen Vogue (September 18)
“Cash Bail Officially Ends in Illinois Monday. Here’s What You Need to Know” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (September 15)
“Courts Will Be Ready When Illinois Ends Cash Bail Monday, Chicago-area Officials Say” by Matthew Hendrickson for Chicago Sun-Times (September 15)
“Court Watchers Prepare For the End of Cash Bail in Illinois” by Bryce Covert for Bolts Magazine (September 13)
“SAFE T Act: Pre-Trial fairness goes into effect Sept. 18” by Conor Hollingsworth for WIFR (September 13)
“Benefits, Lessons, and Optimal Strategies from Illinois Regarding How to End Cash Bail” by Audrey Sawyer for The Davis Vanguard (September 8)
“Letters: Op-Ed Attacking Kim Foxx’s Tenure Lacks Logic and Relies on Lazy Arguments” – Op-Ed by Briana Payton for Chicago Tribune (August 1)
“Abolition Doesn’t Undermine Safety — Its Goal Is Safety for Everyone” by Truthout & Teen Vogue (August 1)
“Illinois Supreme Court Upholds End to Cash Bail; New System Begins Sept. 18” by Todd Feurer & Megan Hickey for CBS News Chicago (July 19)
“Illinois High Court OKs 1st Law in Nation Abolishing Cash Bail” by Marco Poggio for Law360 (July 18)
“Illinois Playbook | Scandal Spotlights $800M Ryan Field” by Shia Kapos for Politico (July 11)
“Civil Asset Forfeiture is a Problem in Cook County” letter to the editor from Stephanie Agnew for Chicago Sun-Times (June 20)
“Kareem Butler – Truth About Electronic Monitoring” by Tracy Siska for The Chicago Justice Podcast (June 1)
“Hundreds of Cops Can’t Testify in Court” by Max Blaisdell for The Tribe (May 23)
“Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart Tightens Electronic Monitoring for Apartment Dwellers” by Chip Mitchell for WBEZ & Chicago Sun-Times (May 18)
“Cook County’s Specialized Courts Not Proving to be Beneficial: Study” by Craig Dellimore for WBBM News Radio (April 14)
“Legislation Offers Potential Path to Freedom for Illinois Prisoners Serving Long Sentences” by Andrew Campbell & Howard Packowitz for 25 News Now (March 8)
“Lawmakers Considering Proposals to Bring Back Parole for People with Long Prison Sentences” by Ben Szalinski for The Daily Line (March 8)
“What Mayoral Candidates Agree On — and What Voters Want From The Next Mayor” – Op-Ed by Kareem Butler for Chicago Sun-Times (February 25)
“It’s Time to Make Illinois Courts Subject to the Public-Records Law” by Jonah Newman for Injustice Watch (February 21)
“With Illinois Cash Bail Case, Courts May Wall Themselves Off From Reform” by Bryce Covert for Bolts (February 15)
“Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act on Hold, but ‘Court Watching’ in Full Effect” by Chris Green for Rockford Register Star (February 2)
“‘It Just Never, Ever Has Worked’: Activists, Law Experts Question CPD Decision to Reactivate Gang Database” by Nadia Carolina Hernandez for The Depaulia (January 15)
“Better Government Association: How Illinois Courts are Hidden from FOIA” – Op-Ed by Sophia Van Pelt for Northwest Herald (January 13)
“Illinois Courts are Hiding from ‘Freedom of Information’” by Christine Hatfield for The 21st Show, Illinois Public Media (January 11)
“SAFE-T Stalled: Cashless Bail Halted by Illinois Supreme Court, Ruling Not Expected Until Spring” by Erik Uebelacker for The Depaulia (January 8)
“Illinois’ Highest Court Halted the Law to Abolish Cash Bail in the State. What’s Next?” by Emily Woodbury for St. Louis Public Radio (January 6)
“Future of Cash Bail to be Determined by Illinois Supreme Court. Here’s What Happens Now” by Amanda Vinicky for WTTW (January 3)
“State’s Attorney, Court Reform Advocate React to Halt on Ending Cash Bail” by Theodora Koulouvaris for WCIA (January 3)
“The Constitutional Argument Over Eliminating Cash Bail in Illinois” by Mike Miletich for WGEM (January 3)
“What’s Next for SAFE-T Act After Illinois Supreme Court Halts End of Cash Bail?” for NBC Chicago (January 2)
“Illinois Cash Bail Questions Raised by SAFE-T Act Ruling Will Be Settled by IL Supreme Court” by Craig Wall for ABC-7 (January 2)
“What to Expect on the End Cash Bail as Illinois Supreme Court Halts the Measure” for NBC Chicago (January 2)
“Cash Bail Remains After Emergency Order Puts Illinois SAFE-T Act On Hold” by Laura Barczewski for KSDK (January 2)
“Fining People for Illegal Gun Possession Will Not Make Us Safer” – Op-Ed by Sarah Staudt for Chicago Sun-Times (December 26)
“Illinois Will Be the First State to Eliminate Cash Bail. Here’s Why Women Led the Push for Reform.” by Rebekah Barber for The 19th News (December 22)
“Sweeping Crime Law in the Spotlight” by Dean Olsen for Illinois Times (December 22)
“Rockford One of 8 Key Areas in Illinois Where Pretrial Fairness Act Will Be Monitored” by Chris Green for Rockford Register Star (December 21)
“City Council OKs Crackdown on Illegal Gun Possession” by Fran Spielman for Chicago Sun-Times (December 16)
“Cook County’s Embattled Domestic Violence Courts Face More Reforms” by Max Blaisdell for South Side Weekly (December 15)
“How Illinois Courts Are Hidden From FOIA” by Sophia Van Pelt for Better Government Association (December 12)
“Pretrial Detention Changes to SAFE-T Act will Head to Governor” by Jerry Nowicki for Capitol News Illinois (December 1)
“Ending Cash Bail In Illinois Brings Hope, Lawsuits, Confusion” by Ivan Moreno for Law360 (November 18)
“Many on House Arrest Bombarded with Texts from Sheriff’s Contractor” by Matt Chapman for Chicago Reader & The Triibe (November 16)
“Cook County Judges are Violating the SAFE-T Act’s Electronic Monitoring Reforms” by Jonathan Manes for Injustice Watch (November 16)
“Illinois Legislators Consider Changes to Law that Abolishes Cash Bail” by Mark Maxwell for KSDK (November15)
“Chicago Sheriff Systematically Denies New Rights Laid Out in Criminal Justice Reform” by Maryam Saleh for The Intercept (November 13)
“Making Sense of Cook County’s Judicial Elections” by Leah Love for Columbia Chronicle (November 7)
“Is There a Better Way to Evaluate Retention Judges?” by Sky Patterson for Injustice Watch (November 4)
“Sheriff Tom Dart Wants More Restrictions for People on Electronic Monitoring” by Shannon Heffernan for WBEZ (October 26)
“Illinois Election 2022: Your Guide to Voting in the Midterms” by Shelby Bremer for NBC Chicago (October 25)
“Illinois Mayor Warns Crime Could Surge Thanks to ‘Dangerous’ New Law” by Jess O’Neill for New York Post (October 25)
“We Need a New Paradigm to Halt the Unprecedented Growth of Electronic Monitoring” by James Kilgore for Truthout (October 24)
“Illinois Democrats Acknowledge ‘Tweaks’ to SAFE-T Act Language Could be Made Following Public Outcry” by Andrew Miller for Yahoo News (October 11)
“Tazewell County State’s Attorney, Sheriff Challenge SAFE-T Act in Court” by Tim Shelley for WCBU (October 7)
“Advocates Defend SAFE-T Act Amid Conservative Backlash” by Madison Bratley for The Daily Northwestern (October 2)
“Fact Check: Illinois Judges Can Still Detain Murder, Arson Suspects After End of Cash Bail” by Nate Trela for USA Today (September 30)
“Pretrial Fairness Act Teach-In with Kareem Butler” for CannaEquityIL (September 29)
“SAFE-T Slander: Misinformation Surrounds Illinois’ New Criminal Justice Reform Law” by Patrick Sloan-Turner and Erik Uebelacker for The Depaulia (September 25)
“Fear and Misinformation Rife as SAFE-T Act and the End of Cash Bail become Political Lightning Rods Heading Into Election” by Jeremy Gorner for Chicago Tribune (September 19)
“What Really Happens When Cash Bail Ends? Task Force Preparing, but Amendments May Come” by Jerry Nowicki for The Daily Herald & Capitol News Illinois (September 18)
“State Senator Gets Ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich To Record Video Saying Law To End Cash Bail Is ‘F–ing Golden’” by Maxwell Evans for Block Club Chicago (September 15)
“Lack of Statewide Pretrial Data is an Impediment to Reforms, Advocates Say” by Rita Oceguera for Injustice Watch (September 9)
“Mayor Lori Lightfoot Blasts Ad from Pro-Bailey Political Committee that ‘Darkens’ Her Image” by Dan Petrella, Jeremy Gorner, and Gregory Pratt for Chicago Tribune (August 23)
“Political Ad Condemning No Cash Bail Criticized by Proponents of New Law” by Kevin Bessler for The Center Square (August 22)
“Column: GOP, Police are Winning Messaging War Over Law that Will End Cash Bail in Illinois” by Ted Slowik for Chicago Tribune (August 17)
“Hundreds More Black Chicagoans are Pleading Guilty to Gun-Possession Charges. Here’s One Possible Reason Why.” by Josh McGhee for Injustice Watch (June 17)
“Mayor’s Remarks are Anti-Justice. Here’s Why the Presumption of Innocence Matters.” op-ed by Herschella G. Conyers and Craig B. Futterman for Chicago Tribune (June 13)
“False Alarms” by Matt Chapman, Natalie Frazier, and The TRiiBE for Chicago Reader (June 9)
“Your Guide to Voting in the 2022 Illinois Primary Election” by Shelby Bremer for NBC-Chicago (June 9)
“Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Cays People Charged with Violent Crimes ‘Are Guilty’ and Shouldn’t be Released on Bail Pending Trial” by Gregory Pratt for Chicago Tribune (June 7)
“We Need More Transparency on Electronic Monitoring and Cook County Circuit Court Business” op-ed by Laurence Msall for Chicago Tribune (May 12)
“Cook County Closes In On a New Flag, Renews Contract for 3rd-Party Debt Collection” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (March 18)
“Advocates Release Progress Report on Clerk Iris Martinez” for Lawndale News (March 17)
“END Money Bond NOW! – The IL Pretrial Fairness Act” for The Justice Beat Talk Show (March 5)
“Watchdog Groups Dig Martinez on Slow Tech and Transparency Reform but Praise ‘Progress’ on Shakman” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (February 25)
“Parliamentary Maneuver Likely to Delay City Council Showdown on Gang Asset Forfeiture Ordinance, Mayor’s Deputy Floor Leader Says” by Fran Spielman for Chicago Sun-Times (February 22)
“Changes to Electronic Home Monitoring Drawing Criticism” by Lourdes Duarte & Andrew Schroedter for WGN TV (January 27)
“COVID-19 Outbreak at Cook County Jail is Biggest Yet as Incarcerated Population Swells to Pre-Pandemic Levels” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (January 10)
“Martinez Emphasizes Ethics Reforms, Predicts End to Shakman Probe in Anniversary Address” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (December 3)
“Coronavirus Cases Rising In Cook County Jail Despite Widespread Vaccines And Testing: ‘It’s Devastating’” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (December 2)
“What If? 10 Questions for Sparking Local Pretrial Change” for Pretrial Justice Institute (November 11)
“Illinois Criminal Justice Reformers Won a Historic Legislative Victory in 2021. But the Law They Passed Isn’t a Done Deal.” by Emanuella Evans, Adeshina Emmanuel, and Jonah Newman (November 3)
“Build Trust? Start by Enacting the Police Reform Measures Already OK’d.” – Opinion by Quintin Williams, Cara Hendrickson, and Garien Gatewood for Crain’s Chicago Business (October 19)
“Political Forum: Chicago Appleseed” by CAN TV (October 19)
Punishment Without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining is a Bad Deal (ISBN 978-1-4197-5029-8) by Carissa Byrne Hessick (October 12)
“Electronic Monitoring has Widened its Net Amid COVID” by James Kilgore & Emmett Sanders for Truthout (October 4)
“Cook County Mulls Revamp Ballooning Electronic Monitoring Program as Criticism Mounts” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line and Block Club Chicago (September 27)
“Cook County Electronic Monitoring Program, Used Widely, Slammed in New Report” by Chuck Goudie, Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel, and Ross Weidner for ABC-7 (September 24)
“Data Analysis Lays Out 10 Facts About Pre-Trial Electronic Monitoring by the Cook County Sheriff” by Ray Hanania for Suburban Chicagoland (September 23)
“Curing ‘Petty, Everyday Injustice’ in Cook County” for 70 Million Podcast (September 19)
“Electronic Monitoring in Chicago Is Pervasive, Due to Sensationalist Crime Reporting” – Opinion by Cathryn Crawford for Teen Vogue (September 16)
“Downtown Pot Sale Expansion, Police Union Contract On Tap for Last City Council Meeting before the Budget Battle” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line and Block Club Chicago (September 14)
“City Council Poised to Approve New Police Contract Despite Opposition form Civil Rights Groups” by Heather Cherone for WTTW (September 13)
“Incarcerated at Home: The Rise of Ankle Monitors and House Arrest during the Pandemic” by April Galser for NBC News (July 5)
“Illinois Supreme Court Fills Vacancy of Judge Who Locked Grandniece in Holding Cell” by Josh McGhee for Injustice Watch (July 1)
“Illinois Speedy Trial Rights Ordered Reinstated – But Not Until October” by Carlos Ballesteros for Injustice Watch (June 30)
“Breaking Down the Issue of Public Access to Judicial Branch Data in Illinois” by The Civic Federation (May 14)
“Report: Cook Circuit Court Clerk Slow to Improve Public Access to Court Documents, Transparency in Clerk’s Office” by Jonathan Bilyk for Cook County Record (May 12)
“COVID-19 Backlog Leaves 100s in Cook County Jail for Over a Year: Report” by Carlos Ballesteros for ABC-7 (May 1)
“Martinez Lags on Transparency as Diluted Public Access Bill Winds Through Legislature: Report” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (April 29)
“Circuit Court Clerk’s First 100 Days Gets Low Marks from Watchdogs” by A.D. Quig for Crain’s Chicago Business (April 28)
“Advocates: Illinois’ Criminal Justice Reform Law Replaces ‘Irrational System’” by Colleen Reynolds for WGLT (April 28)
“Court Backlog Leaves Hundreds of People in Cook County Jail for More than a Year” by Carlos Ballesteros for Injustice Watch (April 28)
“Circuit Court Clerk Touts Transparency with New Bill. Critics Say It’s Not What She Promised.” by Josh McGhee for Injustice Watch (April 7)
“Circuit Court Clerk Touts Transparency with New Bill. Critics Say It’s Not What She Promised.” by Josh McGhee for The Daily Line (April 7)
“A Big Step Taken to Make Pretrial Bail More Equitable” by Olivia Mancuso for The Rally Magazine (March 25)
“Ending Money Bail Makes Communities Safer and Fairer” – Opinion by Ellyn Rosen on behalf of the Chicago Council of Lawyers for Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (March 22)
“Bail Abolition Is Just The Tip of the Iceberg” by Maya Doukmasova for Chicago Reader (March 19)
“E-Carceration and COVID-19 Reference List” for MediaJustice (March 18)
“Mendoza Won’t Deduct Fines from Tax Refunds for Low to Moderate Income Illinoisans” by Rich Miller for Capitol Fax (March 15)
“Ending Cash Bail will Help Domestic Violence Survivors: Advocates” by Maureen Foertsch McKinney for WGLT (March 11, 2021)
“Cook County Pubic Defender’s Office Warns of Scam After Someone Listened in on Zoom Court Proceedings” by Tonya Francisco for WGN TV (March 3)
“Illinois Becomes First State to End Cash Bail As Part of Criminal Justice Reform Law” by Safia Samee Ali for NBC News (February 24)
“Illinois’ End to Cash Bail has Activists Celebrating – and Critics Hoping for Changes” by Emily Woodbury for St. Louis Public Radio (February 23)
“What Went Wrong at Cook County Jail” by Kiran Misra for South Side Weekly (February 18)
“Ten People Died After Chicago Refused to Stop Jailing People during COVID-19 Pandemic” by Kiran Misra for Shadowproof (February 18)
“Pretrial Fairness Act and the End of Money Bail” – Chicago Justice Project Show with Sarah Staudt (February 17)
“The New Debt Prisons” – Opinion by Gene B. Sperling for New York Times (February 16)
“Did Illinois Get Bail Reform Right? Criminal Justice Advocates are Optimistic” by Safia Samee Ali for NBC News (February 15)
“Cook County Jail Starts Vaccinating Detainees for COVID-19” by Kiran Misra for South Side Weekly (February 5)
“I Run a Bail Fund. And I Have a Message for ‘Progressive’ Prosecutors.” – Opinion by Malik Neal for The New York Times (February 4)
“State Lawmakers Must Pass Bail Reform Now” by Lindsey Carlson McLendon for The Appeal (February 4)
“Illinois Republicans, Domestic Violence Survivor Raise Concerns about Eliminating Cash Bail” by Mike Miletich for ABC News 3 – WSILTV (February 4)
“Pressed on Jail Detainees Awaiting Trial for Years, Evans Moves to Tighten Court Scheduling” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (February 4)
“COVID-19 is Spreading Faster than Ever. Jail Populations are Surging, Too” by Jerry Iannelli for The Appeal (February 3)
“Illinois May be the First State to Eliminate Money Bail, but the Fight Isn’t Over” – Opinion by Tanya Watkins, Sharlyn Grace, Will Tanzman, and Sharone Mitchell, Jr. for Truthout (February 2)
“Prison Population Gains COVID-19 Vaccination Priority” by Suzanne Hanney for Streetwise (February 1)
“Illinois Moves to Outlaw Money Bond: ‘Innocent Until Proven Guilty’ Becomes a Reality” by Suzanne Hanney for Streetwise (February 1)
“Illinois Votes to End Cash Bonds by 2023” by Carole Levine for Nonprofit Quarterly (January 21)
“Illinois Poised to be the First State to End Wealth-Based Pre-Trial Detention” by Kiran Misra for The Guardian (January 21)
“The End of Cash Bail? Backers and Opponents Ponder the Consequences as Bill Awaits Pritzker’s Signature” by Annie Sweeney, Megan Crepeau, Dan Petrella, John Keilman, and Robert McCoppin for Chicago Tribune (January 17)
“Eviction Court Judge Slams Moratorium as ‘Utter Idiocy.’ It’s Not On the Record” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (January 14)
“Illinois General Assembly Approves End to Money Bond” for Public News Service (January 14)
“‘It Is Bold, It Is Transformational’: Criminal Justice Reform Package Sent to Governor” by Raymon Troncoso for Daily Herald (January 14)
“Illinois Votes to Stop Jailing People Who Can’t Afford Bail: ‘This is Not a Just or Equitable System’” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (January 14)
“Illinois Lawmakers Vote to End Cash Bail” by Derek Cantu for NPR Illinois (January 13)
“The Illinois Legislature Just Voted to End Cash Bail. Here’s How Organizers Made it Happen” by Alice Herman for In These Times (January 13)
“As COVID-19 Surges in Jails, Guards Want Vaccine Early” by Kris Maher for The Wall Street Journal (January 4)
“Jail, Prison Populations Must be Among First to Get COVID-19 Vaccine: Advocacy Groups” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (December 21)
“Cook County Jail was One of The Nation’s Largest COVID-19 Hot Spots Last Spring. It’s Worse Now” by Matthew Hendrickson for Chicago Sun-Times (December 15)
“Sarah Staudt – Presentation on Consensus Questions for the Criminal Justice Study” for League of Women Voters of Downers Grove, Woodridge, Lisle (December 8)
“Some Cook County Judges are Choosing to Hold Face-to-Face Hearings Despite Pandemic” by Lourdes Duarte for WGN-TV (December 4)
“In 2020, Cook County Voters Cast Ballots for Judges in Historic Numbers” by Carlos Ballesteros, Emily Hoerner, and Jason Asenso for Injustice Watch (December 3)
“Officials ‘Did Nothing’ to Prevent Latest Coronavirus Outbreak in Jail, Guards and Advocates Say” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (December 1)
“Dramatically Reduce the Population of Cook County Jail and Protect Public Health” – Opinion by Stephanie Agnew for Chicago Sun-Times (November 24)
“Final Election Results Show One Cook County Judges Lost Her Seat, Others Hold On By a Thread” by Carlos Ballesteros & Emily Hoerner for Injustice Watch (November 24)
“Final Election Results Show One Cook County Judges Lost Her Seat, Others Hold On By a Thread” by Carlos Ballesteros & Emily Hoerner for Block Club Chicago (November 24)
“Report Finds Bail Reform in Chicago Reduced Pretrial Incarceration Without Hurting Public Safety” by Ethan Corey for The Appeal (November 19)
“Pretrial Fairness Act Seeks to End Cash Bail, Promote Racial and Criminal Justice” by Angeli Mittal & Maia Pandey for The Daily Northwestern (November 19)
“‘Pretrial Fairness Act’ Would Make Illinois the First State to Abolish Cash Bail” by Jason Asenso for Injustice Watch (November 12)
“Two Cook County Judges on the Verge of Losing Seats as Vote Counting Continues” by Carlos Ballesteros for Injustice Watch (November 12)
“Cook County Murder Defendant Who Fled to Ohio One of More than 50 Murder Defendants Here Out on Bond and On Electronic Monitoring” by Paige Fry, Jessica Villagomez, & Megan Crepeau for Chicago Tribune (November 9)
“What Kim Foxx’s Reelection Says About Racial Politics, Fear and Justice in Chicago and Beyond” by Patrick Smith for WBEZ (November 7)
“Progressive State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Fends Off Law-And-Order Candidates Pat O’Brien” by Patrick Smith for WBEZ (November 3)
“Know Your Judges! Be Informed as You Head to The Polls” by Danielle Sanders for Chicago Defender (November 2)
“Ankle Monitor Shortage at Chicago Jail Put Prisoner Releases During COVID in Limbo” by David M. Reutter for Prison Legal News 31(11) (November)
“Bar Associations Make Cook County Judicial Evaluations” by Barbara Vitello for Daily Herald (October 29)
“Voting for Judges: More Than a Two-Person Race” by Mateusz Janik for Columbia Chronicle (October 29)
“Advocates Want End of Money Bond, Law Enforcement Pushes Back” by Raymon Traoncoso for The Telegraph (October 23)
“How to Research Judges On Your Illinois Ballot This Election” by Shelby Bremer for NBC-Chicago (October 23)
“Chicago Attys Hope New Clerk will Modernize Cook County” for Law360 (October 21)
“Lawmakers Discuss Eliminating Cash Bail, Creating Alternatives to Police Response” by Mike Miletich for WEEK News 25 (October 20)
“Should Protesters Be Prosecuted? Foxx and O’Brien Differ” by Kiran Misra & Jim Daley for South Side Weekly (October 14)
“Alliance of Bar Associations Shares Cook County Judicial Recommendations” by Barbara Vitello for Daily Herald (September 30)
“Report: Cook County Jail is Filling Up Again” by Lucia Geng for South Side Weekly (September 28)
“Ask an Expert: Bar Association Ratings, Explained” by John Seasly for Injustice Watch (September 22)
“Report: Election of New Clerk Chance for Reforms to Boost Public Accountability, Accessibility in Cook County Courts” by Jonathan Bilyk for Cook County Record (September 23)
“Ask an Expert: Bar Association Ratings, Explained” by John Seasley for Injustice Watch (September 22)
“Advocacy Groups Craft Long To-Do List for Next Cook County Circuit Court Clerk, Rip Incumbent Dorothy Brown for ‘Unprepared’ Response to Pandemic” by Alice Yin for Chicago Tribune (September 22)
“Next Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Must Improve Public Access, Accountability, Legal Groups Say” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (September 22)
“Groups Call for Big Changes in an Office Stuck in the Carbon Paper Era” by Greg Hinz for Crain’s Chicago Business (September 22)
“Foxx Will Win in November. It’s 2024 She Should Worry About” by Edward McClelland for Chicago Magazine (September 18)
“COVID-19 Makes Deciding Who Gets Out of Jail Urgent” for Season 3, Episode 1 of 70 Million Podcast (September 14)
“What’s a judicial retention election, anyway?” by Jonah Newman for Injustice Watch (August 25)
“Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice: COVID-19 in Carceral Settings” by Emma Lubitsch for CAN TV (August 24)
“Kim Foxx’s Policies are a Step in the Right Direction” – Opinion by Stephanie Agnew for Chicago Tribune (August 13)
“Looting, Unrest Give Way to Another Phase of Recovery in Chicago” by Amanda Vinicky for WTTW (August 11)
“Why is the Cook County Jail Population Rising?” by Connor Echols & Jonah Newman for Injustice Watch (July 17)
“No Evidence Bond Reform is to Blame for Chicago’s Gun Violence” – Opinion by Sarah Staudt for Chicago Sun-Times (July 11)
“Illinois Law School Grads Ask State to Let Them Skip the Bar Exam because of COVID-19” by Kate McGee for WBEZ (July 6)
Chicago Police Accountability Forum of Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and ACS-Chicago Lawyers Chapter via CAN TV (June 30)
“Most of the People Arrested at Protests were Black” by Kiran Misra for The Chicago Reader (June 30)
“Sitting Ducks: ‘Leaving People in the Jail is Leaving People to Die‘” by Kiran Misra for South Side Weekly (June 23)
“Amid One of the Nation’s Worst Coronavirus Outbreaks, a Shortage of Ankle Monitor Kept Some People in Jail” by Kira Lerner for The Appeal (June 2)
“Court Watchers Fill Holes in Bond Data during COVID Jail Outbreak” by John Seasly for Injustice Watch (May 20)
“State’s Attorney has Contested Vast Majority of Bond Motions Since COVID-19” by John Seasly for Injustice Watch (May 18)
“The Money Bond System is the Problem, Not the Charities Paying Bail” – Opinion by Sharone Mitchell, Jr. for Chicago Tribune (May 6)
“Inmate Who Agreed to Stay in Cook County Jail to Avoid Immigration Trouble Lost Life to COVID-19 Instead” by Annie Sweeney & Elvia Malagón (May 4)
“181 Cook County Jail Staffers have Coronavirus. Remaining Guards are Overworked, Forced to Cut Corners, Union Says” by Pascal Sabino for Block Club Chicago (April 14)
“Illinois Changes Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Unemployment Policies in Response to COVID-19” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (March 26)
“Activists Demand Court Release Detainees Amid COVID-19 Concerns” by Connor Echnols for Injustice Watch (March 19)
“Kim Foxx Aims to Rewrite an ‘Inequitable’ Legal Justice System as Challengers Fight to Topple Her” by Mari Cohen for The Appeal (March 16)
“Election 2020: How To Vote for Judges in the Illinois Primary” by Lorraine Swanson for Patch (February 26)
“Why People are Delivering Jars of Gummy Bears to Fight Mass Incarceration Across the US” by Grace Hauck for USA Today (February 25)
“What are Central Panels Up to?” by Hon. Mary Shock for This Month in Administrative Law (February 25)
“The Race to Repair Dorothy Brown’s Office” by Mari Cohen for Chicago Magazine (January 22)
“Activist Group Wants to End Money Bond” for WCIA (January 22)
“Chicago Legal Group: COPA Should Handle Sexual Misconduct Cases involving Police” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (January 21)
“Gov. Pritzker Signs Law Removing Driver’s License Suspension as Penalty for Non-Moving Violations” for ABC7 (January 17)
“Court Clerk Candidates Tout Plans to Overhaul Hiring, Technology in Beleaguered Office” by Alex Nitkin for The Daily Line (January 15)
“Democrats Running for Circuit Court Clerk Vow Digitization, Accountability, Debt Relief” by Chip Mitchell for WBEZ (January 14)
“Jussie Smollett Case Looms Over Reelection Campaign for Chicago’s Chief Prosecutor” by Mark Guarino for The Washington Post (January 12)
“The Need for a Central Panel Approach to Administrative Adjudication: Pros, Cons, and Selected Practices” by Malcolm Rich and Alison Goldstein in the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary 39 (2019)
“For the First Time in 16 Years, Chicago’s Eviction Court is on Tape” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (October 30)
“Illinois Loosened Ankle Monitor Restrictions, but Advocates Say it’s Too Soon to Celebrate” by Kira Lerner for The Appeal (October 18)
“Has Kim Foxx Lived Up to Her Campaign Promises?” by Mari Cohen for Chicago Magazine (October 10)
“New Report Asks Defense Attorneys to Analyze Reforms from Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx” by Alexandra Arriaga for Our Prism (October 10)
“Report: Defense Attorneys Laud Shift to ‘Fairness and Accountability’ Under Kim Foxx” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (October 9)
“Report Shows Changes of Culture in State’s Attorney’s Office, Use of Discretion in Prosecution” by Nancy Harty for WBBM News Radio (October 9)
“Choosing Cook County Judges, Justice Ginsburg Reminds Us, Should Not be a Popularity Contest” by the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board (September 16)
“Mainstream Media Supports Flawed Chicago Police Gun ‘Offender’ Data Portal” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (August 16)
“Attorney General William Barr Slams Progressive Prosecutors as ‘Dangerous’” by Samantha Michaels for Mother Jones (August 12)
“Community Activists: Take Down the Gun Offender Dashboard” by Syd Stone for Chicago Sun-Times (August 12)
“Chicago Police Chief Uses Dirty Data to Blame Gun Violence on Bond Reform” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (August 9)
“In Chicago, Rethinking the Link Between Crime and Incarceration” by Kira Lerner for The Appeal (August 5)
“Chicago’s Incarceration Rates Drop by 19 Percent Since Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Took Office” by Ashleigh Lakieva Atwell for Blavity (July 31)
“Report: Kim Foxx Reforms Show Reducing Incarceration Does Not Compromise Public Safety” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (July 31)
“Report: Fewer Prisoners Sentenced Behind Bars in Foxx’s Second Year, but Crime Still Drops” by Tyrone Lomax and Maia Rosenfeld for Injustice Watch (July 30)
“Report: Incarceration Rates Drop by Nearly 20% Under Kim Foxx” by Matt Masterson for WTTW (July 30)
“Illinois Doesn’t Track Electronic Monitoring Data, but New Legislation Would Require It” by Lee Gaines for NPR Illinois (June 14)
“Cook County Correctional Officers Seek Class-Action Status in Lawsuit over Jail Masturbators” by Patrick Smith for WBEZ Chicago (May 2)
“Chicago is Tracking Kids with GPS Monitors that can Call and Record Them Without Consent” by Kira Lerner for The Appeal and Citylab (April 8)
“Chicago’s Ankle Monitors Can Call and Record Kids Without their Consent” by Kira Lerner for City Lab (April 8)
“Over Retailers’ Opposition, Illinois Bill to Ease Retail Theft Law Progresses” by Abigail Blachman for Injustice Watch (March 27)
“Cook County Judicial Elections Stir Up Unusual Public Scrutiny” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (November )
“No More HOPE: Cook County Court Program Halted After Years of Problems” by Emily Hoerner & Sarah Conway for Injustice Watch (October 20)
“HOPE Court, Created to Keep Probationers Out of Prison, Shut Down Amid Problems” by Sarah Conway for Chicago Sun-Times (October 26)
“The Hustle of Kim Foxx” by Steve Bogira for The Marshall Project (October 29)
“The History of Cook County Bond Reform and Beyond” by Lynda Lopez for City Bureau (September 25)
“The “Terrible” Consequences of Chicago’s Ticketing Policies” by Helga Salinas for ProPublica Illinois (July 27)
“Cops Slammed for Ticketing Black Cyclists: ‘It’s About the Police Harassing People’” by John Greenfield for Chicago Reader (July 17)
“Illinois Appeals Court Endorses Small Counties Keeping Healthy Chunk of Bond” by Olivia Stovicek for Injustice Watch (June 12)
“The Cost of Cash Bail” by Matthew Peddie for WMFE (June 5)
“No African American Candidates Chosen as Cook County Judges Add 16 to Bench” by Mari Cohen for Injustice Watch (May 23)
“Here’s How To Reverse the Damage of Segregation” by Lisa Bertagnoli for Crain’s Chicago Business (May 15)
“Failure to Record Cook County Eviction Court Hearings Leaves Tenants Vulnerable” by Olivia Stovicek and Mari Cohen for Injustice Watch (April 25)
“How Court Costs Trap People in Poverty—and How Lawmakers Are Trying to Fix It” by Yana Kunichoff for Chicago Magazine (March 27)
“Electing Progressive Prosecutors Isn’t Enough. Now, Activists are Holding them Accountable” by Adeshina Emmanuel (March 26)
“No Need for Tom Dart to be Gun-Shy on Bail Reform” by Curtis Black for Chicago Reporter (March 15)
“Court Watch NYC Volunteers Sit in Courtrooms to Monitor How Prosecutors Use Their Discretion” by Beth Schwartzapfel for ABA Journal (February 28)
“The Prosecutors” by Beth Schwartzapfel for The Marshall Project (February 26)
“Chicago Data Collaborative Launches Criminal Justice Data Portal” by Maya Dukmasova for The Chicago Reader (January 25)
“Bond Court Reforms Lead to Record-Low Inmate Count in Cook County Jail” for NBC-Chicago (December 23)
“Where does Criminal Justice Reform Stand One Year After Kim Foxx Elected?” by Curtis Black for The Chicago Reporter (December 7)
“Masturbation Epidemic in Cook County Court Lockups Raises Questions about Jail Conditions, County Budget, Defendants’ Rights” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (November 6)
“Cook County’s Tradition of Using Bail as Punishment may be Hard to Change” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (September 19)
“After Legal Challenges, Cook County’s Court for Unwed Parents Quietly Goes Away” by Steve Schmadeke for Chicago Tribune (September 18)
“Should Communities Have a Say in How Residents are Punished for Crime?” by Yana Kunichoff for The Atlantic (May 2)
“The Instantaneous Injustice of Bail” by Kamil Ahsan for The American Prospect (May 1)
“Arrestees to Get Access to Lawyers Free of Charge at Chicago Police Stations” by Steve Schmadeke for Chicago Tribune (March 14)
“Court Merges Divorce, Parentage Calls” by Lauraann Wood for Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (February 3)
“The People Who Bailed Out the King” by Bettina Chang for Chicago Magazine (December 22)
“Attorneys: Cook County Eviction Court Proceedings are ‘Black Box’” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (December 21)
“No-Show Cops and Dysfunctional Courts Keep Cook County Jail Inmates Waiting Years for a Trial” by Spencer Woodman for Chicago Reader (November 16)
“Can an Algorithm Erase Bias in Cook County Bond Courts?” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (October 26)
“Thousands in ‘Indefinite Detention’ in Cook County Jail because They Can’t Afford Bond” by Chuck Goodie and Barb Markoff for ABC7-Chicago (October 13)
“Willie Wilson Bails Out Inmates Changed with Misdemeanors in Bid for Reform” by Grace Wong for Chicago Tribune (September 15)
“DOJ’s New Stance on Bail Bonds Won’t Help Poor Inmates in Cook County Jail” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (August 25)
“Abolish the Police? Organizers say It’s Less Crazy than It Sounds” by Maya Dukmasova for Chicago Reader (August 25)
“Illinois Appeals Court Endorses Small Counties Keeping Healthy Chunk of Bond” by Olivia Stovicek (June 12)
2015
“New Law Limits Jail Time for Poor Who Commit Certain Crimes” by Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux for Chicago Reporter (September 1, 2015)
2013
“Do we have the Right People Locked Up?” by Mick Dumke for Chicago Reader (October 16, 2013)
2011
“The $78 Million Bag” by Mick Dumke and Ben Joravsky for Chicago Reader (October 6, 2011)
2010
“CHANGE Illinois! has 20 Questions for the Candidates” for Cision PRNewswire (August 30, 2010)
“Judge Provides Impetus for Cook County Jail’s ‘Virtual School’” by Daniel Libit for The New York Times (June 11, 2010)
Press and media inquiries should be directed to Stephanie Agnew, Communications Manager, at sagnew@chicagoappleseed.org.