Cook County Public Defender Archives - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

You Have the Right to Chronically-Underfunded and Overworked Counsel: The need for improved support of public defense in Cook County and beyond.

BACKGROUND The concept of a public defender is relatively modern in the American legal system. For most of U.S. history, being poor meant defense by an attorney was unavailable to you. That all changed, however, in the seminal case, Gideon v. Wainwright, when the Supreme Court found it to be the...

Funding for public defense in Cook County — a legal and racial justice issue.

In June, the Sixth Amendment Center published a report, “The Right to Counsel in Illinois: Evaluation of Adult Criminal Trial-Level Indigent Defense Services,” which shines new light on Illinois’ indigent defense system—and its inability to live up to constitutional standards. Commissioned by the...

Amy Campanelli To Be Confirmed As New Cook County Public Defender

On March 11, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle nominated Amy Campanelli to serve as the new Cook County Public Defender. Campanelli, a 23-year veteran of the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, is currently serving as the Deputy of Suburban Operations for the Law Office, where she manag...

The Search for Cook County’s New Public Defender

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has started a search process for the new Public Defender in Cook County. On March 31, 2015, Abishi Cunningham’s six-year term as Public Defender for Cook County will end. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has elected to replace Cunningham with...