Posted in2026 Retention
‘Vote “yes” for all of us’: Why Cook County judges run as a ‘class’
Unlike other elected officials, the dozens of judges up for retention this year campaign and raise money as a group.
Cook County Circuit Court
Posted inJudicial Conduct
Cook County Judge Raúl Vega is retiring under a cloud of allegations
The former top judge of Cook County’s domestic violence court, Vega will retire with a lifetime pension, despite accusations from women in his courtroom that he mistreated them.
Posted inCriminal Courts
Illinois changed its controversial ‘felony murder rule.’ Here’s who the reform left behind.
Illinois recently made changes to narrow the scope of the law, which disproportionately impacts young people of color and women. But advocates say the reforms don’t go far enough.
Posted inThe Circuit
Fewer people in Cook County are being charged with crimes. Why are Black people making up a larger share of defendants?
We broke down the data on specific charges and asked experts to explain why racial disparities are increasing in Cook County criminal court.
Posted inHousing
Cook County launches court-based rental assistance program for people facing eviction
A new round of rental assistance for Cook County tenants facing eviction comes as the statewide eviction moratorium is set to end.
Posted inAssociate Judges
New class of Cook County associate judges more racially diverse than past years
Former prosecutors dominate the roster of 22 new associate judges, who were selected last week by the county’s circuit judges.
Posted inThe Circuit
Explore nearly two decades of Cook County court data
The Circuit, our project with the Better Government Association and DataMade, examines Cook County criminal court data from over 3 million cases between 2000 and 2018. Now you can view the charges in our data broken down by race, gender, and ethnicity.
Posted inCriminal Courts
Illinois appellate court denies exonerated man’s innocence certificate
While the state vacated Wayne Washington’s 1996 conviction for Marshall Morgan’s murder, he’s still fighting an uphill battle for an innocence certificate.
Posted inProsecutors
The history and harm behind Illinois’s criminal HIV transmission law
Injustice Watch and the Chicago Reader examined the origins of Illinois’s HIV transmission law, how Cook County prosecutors have leveraged it, and its impacts on people charged. The investigation is part of The Circuit, a courts data project from Injustice Watch, the BGA, and DataMade.
