Why public defenders are standing with the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association in the Supreme Court.
2021 News Archive
A power struggle has been brewing in Cook County, where job offers to several attorneys from Public Defender Sharone Mitchell were rescinded after confusion over the county's drug policy. Recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois last January. That complicated the hiring process for many, including a handful of attorneys offered jobs months ago by the Cook County Public Defender's Office. Their offers were revoked when drug tests came back positive for marijuana.
Assistant Public Defender Takenya Nixon Brail writes in Teen Vogue to explain why rising crime large urban cities like Chicago ought not lead to more policing.
The Criminal Courthouse at 26th and California is reopening post-pandemic. COVID-19 brought seismic changes to the Cook County court system. And after more than a year, a reopening reckoning is close at hand.
A better-funded public defender’s office could be a leader in the fight for equity and justice, Sharone Mitchell said. Public defenders “put a mirror to the system and say that this isn’t working for us."
WGN Radio’s Karen Conti is with Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli to talk about the criminal justice reform bill signed by Governor Pritzker this week, eliminating cash bail. Amy also shares the many services offered by the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender.