Civil asset forfeiture is a tool ripe for abuse. It raises civil liberties concerns and offers little public safety value. It would be a step backward for Chicago after other jurisdictions have abandoned or reformed such tactics.
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Community groups join ACLU and Cook County Public Defender urging City of Chicago to drop plan for new civil asset forfeiture powers
The Cook County Public Defender sent a letter on January 13, 2022 to all members of the Chicago City Council requesting they reject the "Victims Just Ordinance" authorizing the city to bring civil lawsuits against gangs to seize assets.
Why public defenders are standing with the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association in the Supreme Court.
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has been brewing in Cook County, where job offers to several attorneys from Public Defender Sharone Mitchell were rescinded after confusion over the county's drug policy.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.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the County’s support of a new Immigration Unit being launched by Public Defender Amy P. Campanelli. The new Immigration Unit will be funded through a private/public partnership between Cook County and private funding thanks to the support of the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation.