The Cook County Sheriff’s policy to reject some people who had been ordered released on electronic monitoring may have violated the Fourth Amendment, an appellate court ruled.
Coalition of reform groups hoped to win ruling that cash bail system discriminated against pre-trial detainees held because they could not make bail, while wealthier defendants walked free before trial. But Cook County Chancery judge concludes the lawsuit was asking for relief that was beyond her authority to grant.
A downstate Illinois defendant was acquitted of charges, but the county charged him more than $40,000 in administering his bond and pretrial detention. An Illinois appeals court last month upheld the fee, to chagrin of bond reform advocates.
A recent inmate in Cook County jail has brought a class action suit against Sheriff Tom Dart, contending she was illegally held in custody even after she met the requirements set by a judge for release on electronic monitoring. The sheriff’s office contends the complaints about the new review policy are unfounded and “grandstanding.”
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart warned County Board President Toni Preckwinkle that the way bail reforms are being enacted risks a dangerous situation. But Preckwinkle responded that Dart’s own numbers do not support that conclusion.
One-month report card on new rules: Fewer suspects were being held pretrial, but some still sent to jail because they could not afford bail.
After years of protests, lawsuits, and complaints from county officials, the Cook County Circuit Court on Monday unveiled its long-awaited bail system reform.
The judges’ attorney said a new bond court rule adopted by Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans has made the issue moot.
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