Cook County Courts Archives - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Understanding Barriers to Representation for Civil Contempt in Child Support Cases & Examining Rule 13.8(b)

Parents who fail to pay court-ordered child support can face a range of penalties, including civil contempt of court and misdemeanor or felony charges, which could result in fines or even incarceration. The data is incomplete, but it's estimated that at an average of 50,000 parents (mainly fathers)...

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 on RJCC Expansion to Sauk Village

Last month, the Circuit Court of Cook County expanded its Restorative Justice Community Court (RJCC) program into Sauk Village, a suburb just south of Chicago. The new RJCC is the first of its kind in Chicago’s suburbs, joining a line-up of Chicago-based RJCCs in North Lawndale, Avondale, and Englew...

Voting for the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County: Your Guide for the 2024 Primary Election!

The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (“Court Clerk”) has unique responsibilities that directly impact access to the courts; the Court Clerk is in a position to create or remove many barriers to justice. The Court Clerk answers to a number of constituencies: judges, attorneys, litigants, jur...

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