Emily Hoerner, Senior Reporter at Injustice Watch

Prisoner who challenged conviction based on judge’s deception wins new trial

A 59-year-old Cook County man has long contended that he had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to life in prison because the judge who presided in the case had won office by deceptively claiming he lived in northwest Chicago. He was released from prison this month.

by Emily Hoerner May 20, 2019December 5, 2023

Judicial Conduct

Controversial Cook County criminal judge appointed to immigrant court judicial seat

Nicholas R. Ford, who left behind a checkered record when he retired from the Cook County circuit court last month, has a new job: Ford was appointed this week as a U.S. Immigration Court judge, based in San Francisco.

by Emily Hoerner May 16, 2019December 5, 2023

Illinois Prisons

Illinois prison officials shuttered debate program; now, inmates sue that action

A group of inmates who participated in the now-defunct debate team at a maximum security prison in Joliet, Illinois, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday contending officials at the Illinois Department of Corrections violated their constitutional right to free speech.

by Emily Hoerner May 15, 2019December 5, 2023

Appeals and Wrongful Convictions

Family urges Kim Foxx: Review conviction of man based on blind eyewitness

Supporters and family of a man serving a 76-year sentence for murder based on testimony from an eyewitness the judge did not know was legally blind called on State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and her office to overturn his conviction at a press conference Monday.

by Emily Hoerner May 13, 2019December 5, 2023

Appeals and Wrongful Convictions

Judge sentenced teenager to 76 years based on eyewitness he did not know was legally blind

A Cook County Circuit Judge found Darien Harris guilty of murder and attempted murder based largely on the testimony of an eyewitness who had stumbled upon the scene as he made his way home from a fast-food restaurant. What the judge did not learn: That eyewitness was legally blind.

by Emily Hoerner May 10, 2019November 14, 2024

Less than Life

Illinois Supreme Court rules that 41-year term for juvenile offender amounts to life

The Illinois Supreme Court unanimously ruled in a landmark decision Thursday that a 41-year sentence for a juvenile offender constitutes the equivalent of a life term.The decision triggers sentencing protections for juvenile offenders who are sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.

by Emily Hoerner April 18, 2019December 5, 2023

DuPage prosecutors drop murder charges from 2002 toddler death

The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office on Wednesday dropped murder charges against a man who spent nearly 17 years in custody for beating to death his girlfriend’s two-year-old son before his conviction was overturned last summer based on doubts about his guilt.

by Emily Hoerner April 17, 2019December 5, 2023

Debtors’ prison faces Oklahoma defendants, lawsuit states

A civil rights lawsuit filed Thursday contends that Oklahoma, the state with a higher incarceration rate than anywhere else in the country, operates debtors’ prisons, as defendants end up with increasing fines and more jail time simply for being poor.

by Emily Hoerner March 21, 2019December 5, 2023

Less than Life

Illinois high court hears defense, prosecutor debate 50-year sentence for youth

The Illinois Supreme Court justices have the chance to decide how long is too long in sentencing juvenile offenders to prison without any hope of parole. At issue is a 50-year sentence imposed by a Cook County judge in a murder committed by a 16-year old.

by Emily Hoerner January 15, 2019December 5, 2023

Less than Life

Question before court: How long is too long for sentencing youthful offenders?

Following U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Illinois’ high court has already ruled a 97-year mandatory sentence for a crime committed as a youth violates the constitution. But how many years is too much time? The court this week takes up the case of a man sentenced to 50 years in prison for a crime committed as a 16-year-old.

by Emily Hoerner January 14, 2019December 5, 2023

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