Carlos Ballesteros is a reporter based in Chicago. He joined Injustice Watch in June 2020 after two years at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he covered immigrant and working-class communities of color throughout the South and West sides of the city. Before joining the newspaper, Carlos was a digital reporter for Newsweek in New York and interned at The Nation and In These Times. You can reach him at [email protected]
The state Supreme Court is delaying the reactivation of speedy trial rights until October in order to give chief circuit judges statewide “at least 90 days to prepare,” according to a press release.
At the start of the pandemic, the Illinois Supreme Court suspended defendants’ constitutional rights to a speedy trial as courtrooms closed throughout the state. But even as pandemic restrictions are lifted across the board, the right to a speedy trial remains on hold.
The Illinois General Assembly passed a bill allowing Cook County public defenders to help noncitizens fight deportation in immigration court.
The ‘Illinois Way Forward Act’ now goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk for his signature. The bill would severely restrict how local police departments across the state can cooperate with federal immigration officers.
Covid-19 restrictions have led to a growing felony court backlog in Cook County. To clear it, “we have to move faster than normal,” one expert said.
Residentes del barrio Latino donde la policía mato a Adam Toledo discuten quien o quienes tienen la culpa de su muerte.
As the national spotlight dawns on the predominantly Mexican neighborhood, residents express a complicated mix of emotions about Adam’s killing and what to do next.
Una nueva unidad dentro de la oficina del defensor público del condado de Cook busca una mejor representación para los clientes no-ciudadanos en riesgo de ser deportados.
A new unit within the Cook County public defender’s office wants better representation for noncitizens clients at risk of being deported.
Un grupo de congresistas demócratas, liderado por el representante de Illinois, Jesús “Chuy” García, está renovando el impulso de una amplia legislación que desmantelaría muchos segmentos del llamado conducto de la prisión, a la deportación.