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    Illinois Supreme Court

    News
    An illustration showing two large-scaled judges sitting on either side of a white opening where a small person stands with a shadow casted behind them.

    Abortion-rights advocates fearful of Republicans gaining control of Illinois Supreme Court in Nov. 8 election

    By Rita Oceguera and Maureen Dunne | November 1, 2022

    With Roe overturned, a Republican majority on the state’s highest court could limit access to abortions, particularly for teens, across the Midwest.

    News

    Committee proposes changes to Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct

    By Josh McGhee | February 1, 2022

    The Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct hasn’t been overhauled since 1993. The proposed changes include guidelines on how judges can use social media and other technology, which didn’t exist when it was last updated.

    News
    Illinois Supreme Court building

    Illinois speedy trial rights ordered reinstated — but not until October

    By Carlos Ballesteros | June 30, 2021

    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.

    Cook County Public Defender
    Tents for temperature checks outside of the Cook County Criminal Courts building.

    In Illinois, you (still) don’t have a right to a speedy trial

    By Carlos Ballesteros | June 24, 2021

    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.

    ACT UP

    The history and harm behind Illinois’s criminal HIV transmission law

    By Adam M. Rhodes (The Chicago Reader) | June 7, 2021

    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.

    News

    Illinois lawmakers clash with state Supreme Court over bias training for judges

    By Josh McGhee | March 16, 2021

    The Judicial Quality Act passed out of a state Senate committee Wednesday, despite opposition from the Illinois Supreme Court.

    News
    Appellate Judge Sheldon A. Harris

    Illinois Supreme Court candidate Harris accused of ethical breach involving nephew’s case

    By John Seasly | March 13, 2020

    A retired appellate judge said that a discussion that Illinois Supreme Court candidate Shelly Harris had with her about a pending case involving his nephew has led to a complaint to the state agency that investigates judicial misconduct.

    News

    Breaking: Former judges, prosecutors urge Illinois Supreme Court to reform bail

    By Injustice Watch Staff | July 9, 2018

    The state Supreme Court is urged to reform the bail system statewide, ensuring that defendants would not be held in custody awaiting trial only because of their poverty.

    Less than Life

    Illinois high court to consider how much time is too much for youth crime

    By Emily Hoerner and Jeanne Kuang | June 4, 2018

    The Illinois Supreme Court will consider whether a sentence of 50 years without parole for a 16-year-old violates the state and federal constitutions. Courts nationwide and in Illinois have struggled with where to draw the line for crimes committed by juveniles.

    News

    Charles Freeman, first black Illinois Supreme Court justice, to retire

    By Olivia Stovicek | May 17, 2018

    Illinois Supreme Court justice since 1994, Charles Freeman announced he is stepping down. P. Scott Neville Jr. will replace him. Freeman was the first African American to serve on the state high court; Neville will be the second.

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    About This Site

    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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    We Recommend

    Las hospitalizaciones por Covid-19 en el Departamento de Correccionales de Illinois, provocan angustia a los seres queridos de los encarcelados

    Este artículo, publicado originalmente en inglés por Injustice Watch, está disponible en español gracias al proyecto "Traduciendo las noticias de Chicago", del Instituto de Noticias Sin Fines de Lucro (INN). Read in English.

    Our commitment to anti-racism

    We, the Injustice Watch staff, feel pain and anger, like so many in our community, over the police killing of George Floyd and the systemic racism his death represents. The list of Black people whose lives have been cut short by police brutality is excruciatingly long.

    2020 Judicial Primary Election Guide
    The scales of justice with a check mark and the words Check Your Judges

    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.

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    Our Mission

    Injustice Watch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization that conducts in-depth research exposing institutional failures that obstruct justice and equality.

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