The Illinois Supreme Court on Saturday posted an online notice that it is staying the Pretrial Fairness Act, the law within a broader criminal justice overhaul called the SAFE-T Act, which contains the cashless-bail change. The stay will remain in place until the justices issue a new order.
Illinois Supreme Court
If the results hold, the court would shift to a 5-to-2 Democrat majority.
Democratic Lake County Judge Elizabeth “Liz” Rochford has declared victory in her race for the 2nd District seat on the Illinois Supreme Court, a result that would mean Democrats would maintain control of the state’s highest court.
Despite a growth in population size, the Latino community is underrepresented in politics, with less than 2% of Latinos in elected positions nationwide.
With terms that last 10 years, having two competitive Illinois Supreme Court contests in a single election cycle – as is the case in the suburbs outside of Cook County this November – is rare and the results potentially significant.
“These races often fly under the radar but these are the two most important races on our ballot in November,” said lawyer Trisha Rich, who is on the board of the abortion rights group Personal PAC. “And even though that might sound like an overstatement, it’s not.”
The unanimous Supreme Court decision, released Sept. 22, resolves a 7-year-old lawsuit brought by Charles Green, who was sentenced to life in prison at age 16 after being convicted in a 1985 quadruple murder. Green was released in 2009, and wants to prove his innocence.
“The race has been run and it is time to pass the gavel to a successor,” Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Burke said.
Federal judges are appointed and confirmed, something the nation has witnessed via televised hearings as the nation’s high court has gone through turnover in recent years. But Illinois elects most judges.
The state’s highest court will soon have its first Black woman justice as Fourth District Appellate Court Judge Lisa Holder White is set to replace Justice Rita Garman, who’s retiring this summer. Holder White’s term begins in July.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) had urged the Illinois Supreme Court to overturn decisions by the Illinois State Board of Elections as well as lower courts that allowed politicians accused of political corruption to use funds contributed by supporters of their campaigns to defend themselves from accusations of wrongdoing while in office.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) looked on as his attorney Adolfo Mondragon urged the Illinois Supreme Court to overturn decisions by the Illinois State Board of Elections as well as lower courts to toss out his complaint against his predecessor, disgraced former Ald. Danny Solis.
The case began in November 2019 when Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) filed a complaint with the Illinois State Board of Elections against his disgraced predecessor, former Ald. Danny Solis.
The makeup of the Illinois Supreme Court is changing, and it comes at a pivotal time. What the evolving bench means for residents.
Critics of Thomas Kilbride are making the most of their once-in-a-decade chance to toss a sitting Illinois Supreme Court justice.
The case stems from a yearslong battle between the city of Chicago and the Fraternal Order of Police, which has argued that its collective bargaining agreement requires complaint files be destroyed after five years.
The Illinois Supreme Court officially disbarred former Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Monday, two months after a state panel recommended that the disgraced politician lose his law license.
