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Check Your Judges: Why Cook County judicial elections matter

By Adeshina Emmanuel and Carlos Ballesteros | October 15, 2020

Judicial elections bring high stakes and consequences, especially for Black, Latinx and other marginalized groups disproportionately impacted by the justice system.

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Injustice Watch is a Chicago-based nonprofit news organization dedicated to investigating causes of systemic injustice, and helping point the path to a more just society.

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Our commitment to anti-racism

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2020 Judicial Primary Election Guide

13 states have never exonerated a prisoner based on DNA evidence. Here’s why.

Hundreds of state prisoners have successfully used DNA evidence to win exonerations in the past three decades — except in 13 states. The states are Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont.

Cook County judicial candidate, colleague misled jury into wrongful conviction

This is the first of a series of Injustice Watch reports on candidates and campaigning for the Cook County Circuit Court 2018 elections. Longtime Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Gerber achieved his lifelong dream in December 2016 when the state Supreme Court appointed him to the Cook County Circuit Court, filling a vacancy. But as he now runs to win a full six-year term, Gerber faces a potential obstacle: Another Cook County judge has ruled that Gerber and a second prosecutor made false statements to a jury that led to a wrongful conviction.