Latest News
02.16.12
2012 Judicial Evaluations Now Available
Category: Policy Statements
In Illinois, judges are elected. People will be voting for judicial candidates on March 20, 2012. Early voting begins on February 27, 2012. Each of these candidates is running to fill a judicial vacancy. By reading the information and judicial evaluation results found on this website, you can become better informed about the people running for judge. By voting for qualified judges, you can help protect our courts. Please remember that judges make decisions that affect our entire society as well as your well-being. Each judge makes tens of thousands of decisions that can affect nearly everyone. By protecting our courts, you are protecting yourself, your family, and your friends. For the judicial evaluation report of the Chicago Council of Lawyers and a ballot summary using the judicial evaluation results from the Chicago Council of Lawyers, please visit our State Judicial Evaluations page to download.
02.13.12
Special Announcement: Judicial Evaluations
Category: Recent Press
CCL Judicial Evaluations To Be Release Feb 16th
02.09.12
Voting for judges: Everyone can, few do
Category: Recent Press
Four years ago, just more than 1.2 million people in Cook County showed up to vote in the primary election. But just over a million of those people posted a vote for state's attorney - 85.38 percent of the total number of voters who hit the polls, according to the Cook County Clerk's office.
12.09.11
2011 State Judicial Directory Now Available!
Category: Newsletter Archive
Since 1970, the Chicago Council of Lawyers has been evaluating State Judges in Cook County. Now in its Ninth edition, the current directory is a compilation of judicial evaluations from 1986 through March 2011 of Circuit Judges and Associate Judges in Cook County as well as Illinois Supreme Court and Appellate Court Justices, First District.
11.08.11
Chicago Council of Lawyers Published Letter to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Category: Recent Press
Law organization discusses judicial appointments, recall
11.03.11
Blog: Smart Criminal Justice Policies Gain Momentum in Chicago, Cook County
Category: Blog
County and City officials have taken bold yet prudent steps toward sensible, cost-effective public safety policies. The County has expanded use of electronic monitoring and the City is now considering issuing a fine in lieu of arrest for marijuana possession-a move many suburbs have already made. Both plans aim to relieve the mounting fiscal, political, and humanitarian costs imposed by crowded jails and overburdened police and courts. They also represent incremental steps toward fundamental, systemic reform.
11.01.11
Annual Fundraising Luncheon: Thank You
Category: Recent Press
We would like to thank everyone who attended our annual fundraising luncheon. In addition, we want to thank: Senator Kwame Raoul - Keynote speaker and recipient of the Commitment to Justice Award for his successful effort to end the death penalty in Illinois; Cynthia Canary - Recipient of the Commitment to Justice Award for her tireless efforts to bring about reform of the Illinois political process - seeking new levels of transparency and ethics in Illinois government; and Professor John P. Heinz - Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to bringing about reform through social science research, teaching, and helping nonprofit organizations reach their reform-minded goals.
11.01.11
Anonymity and Integrity in Researching Judicial Performance
Category: Blog
Recently, Chicago Appleseed was asked about unsolicited anonymous comments about judicial retention candidates and whether they play a role in the data collection for the Judicial Performance Commission of Cook County's (the JPC) evaluations. The integrity of our data is paramount and we strive to use only valid sources of feedback. Nonetheless, the most valuable commentary we can collect from survey respondents is candid, honest commentary. In our data collection effort, therefore, we balance the privacy needs of data sources against our need to verify their responses. You can read this entire statement over at our blog.
09.26.11
SAVE THE DATE! - Annual Fundraising Luncheon October 5, 2011
Category: Recent Press
Chicago Appleseed and Chicago Council of Lawyers invite you to their Annual Fundraising Luncheon.
09.12.11
Community-Involved Efforts Lead to Record CPS Attendance Level
Category: Blog
Chicago Public Schools enjoyed a 94.7% attendance rate on the district's first day of school. The turnout this Tuesday marks a four-year high, and a jump from 92.9% last year. CPS attributes the turnout largely to coordinated efforts among the schools, community organizations, and families. One of the main causes of poor first-day attendance is [...] Read more about this over at our blog.