January 18, 2024
News Archive
July 18, 2023
The Cook County Public Defender’s Office said on Tuesday it is pleased that the Illinois Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Pretrial Fairness Act. The ruling is the strongest possible decision upholding the constitutional arguments for ending money bond.
January 30, 2023
The Cook County Public Defender’s Office mourns the tragic death of Tyre Nichols. Tyre deserved to live a full and beautiful life. Instead, another young Black person’s family is coping with the reality that the individuals entrusted to serve and protect us all took their loved one’s life in a savage fashion.
We recognize the traumatic impact that Tyre’s murder has on our public defender family, our clients and our wider communities. We support the need to share grief and address this impact.
December 31, 2022
The Illinois Supreme Court today issued an order suspending implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act while it reviews a lower court opinion that found the law unconstitutional.
The Cook County Public Defender’s Office is disappointed that this historic and transformative law will not take effect as planned tomorrow, Jan. 1.
December 29, 2022
June 16, 2022
False alarms involving electronic monitors are a huge issue for clients of the Cook County Public Defender's Office who are placed on house arrest while awaiting trial. The consequences can be very serious, including being put in jail or charged with a crime. The Chicago Reader and The Triibe looked into this issue.
Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell was quoted in the story as follows:
January 13, 2022
Community Groups Join ACLU and Cook County Public Defender Urging City to Drop It
An alliance of faith-based and anti-violence community leaders have joined policy organizations and government agencies to call on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to drop her plan to use new civil asset forfeiture powers in response to gun violence in Chicago. Organizations opposing the ordinance include the ACLU of Illinois, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, and others.
November 5, 2019
Cook County wants minors under 13 kept out, appeals says it can't.
"The General Assembly expressed its intention that the operation and administration of juvenile detention facilities would lie with the judiciary and not in the county board," Pierce wrote in the 17-page ruling.
Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli, whose office brought the appeal, said she is going to challenge the ruling with the Illinois Supreme Court.