In March, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (CLC) welcomed our new Board President, José Behar! José has been a committed board member since January 2019 and has partnered with CLC on several cases and initiatives. He served in a critical role during the organization’s executive search in 2022 and is passionate about advancing civil rights in our city and state. He currently serves as Assistant General Counsel at Constellation Energy and brings extensive experience to our organization. We had the opportunity to ask José about his history with CLC and what he is most e ..read more

Today, we submitted a letter to encourage the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education to reconsider the consequential vote scheduled to take place on Monday, June 10 regarding the proposed closure of Bessie Rhodes School for Global Studies until a full assessment of the impacts and implications has been completed. Parents from Bessie Rhodes adamantly oppose the closure of their unique and vibrant school community given strong concerns for the impacts to all their students, and particularly the many ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse students served in this school ..read more

by: Beatriz Diaz-Pollack and Zindy Marquez A central element of our educational resource equity advocacy is working diligently alongside our community partners to advance the fight for fully and equitably resourced public education, especially increased funding for the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula, the Illinois General Assembly has passed a state budget that includes only the minimum $350 million increase for EBF. This decision once again delays the timeline for fully funding our public school districts across the state. EBF was designed to ensure that Illinois public schools receive ..read more

On May 1st, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights’ Midwest Voting Rights team, together with community partner United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), submitted testimony to the Michigan Senate Elections and Ethics Committee in support of the Michigan Voting Rights Act (MIVRA). The entirety of the MIVRA is contained within Michigan Senate Bills 401, 402, 403, and 404. If passed, the MIVRA package would be one of the most comprehensive state-level voting rights acts in the country and would help lead the Midwest in establishing necessary state-level voting rights ..read more

On May 7th, voters across Indiana showed up at the polls for their Primary Election. Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights helped mobilize nonpartisan Election Protection volunteers to respond to Indiana voters’ questions on the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline and to support partners Common Cause Indiana and Count US Indiana in the field in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Muncie. In partnership with national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Taft Law, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP, our team of call center volunteers was available to answer calls from voters to the hotline from before polls opened ..read more

Today, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Restore Justice, and Uptown People’s Law Center have released a critical report titled “Ending Long Term Solitary Confinement in Illinois” describing the urgent need for solitary confinement reform in Illinois. The Illinois General Assembly is considering the Nelson Mandela Act (HB 4828), which would restrict solitary confinement by prohibiting prisons from holding individuals in solitary for more than 20 hours a day for more than 10 days. This new report authored by Chris Bridges and David Shapiro of Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rig ..read more

During the March 19 Illinois Primary Election cycle, over 100 non-partisan Election Protection pro bono volunteers and Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights staff answered calls from voters to the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline, conducted an on-the-ground voter protection field program in Chicago and six northeast Illinois counties, and protected the rights of voters in pretrial detention and student voters. Chicago Lawyers’ Committee is grateful to national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and our community partners for their collaboration and solidarity i ..read more

Chicago Lawyers’ Committee and Our Partners Challenge CHA Land Lease to Billionaire-Owned Soccer Team Dismissed, but CHA Accountability Campaign Continues  Lawsuit Dismissal, and Coalition Efforts  Our lawsuit seeking to challenge the Chicago Housing Authority’s (CHA) plan to lease public housing land to a billionaire-owned soccer team was dismissed in court in October, but Chicago Lawyers’ Committee and our clients remain committed to the fight for affordable housing and fair land use.   The Coalition to Protect CHA Land, Chicago Housing Initiative, and the Lugenia Burns H ..read more

We had the honor of sitting down with our very own J. Cunyon Gordon, Director of the Settlement Assistance Program, and spoke with her about her experience serving as a military lawyer in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). Thank you for your service, Cunyon! Tell me about your time serving as a military lawyer in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). How long did you serve in this role?  “I served from 1981-1988 as a Navy Judge Advocate because the Navy paid for me to go to law school and the “pay back” was two years of service for every year of law school. I served ..read more

On Monday, October 30, 2023, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) hosted a public budget hearing to gather input from across the state on the budget for public education in fiscal year 2025 (FY25). ISBE heard from educators, parents, students, community organizations, and other leaders via written statements and in-person and virtual testimony. Beatriz Diaz-Pollack, Director of Education Equity at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, provided testimony at the hearing alongside others from the Partnership for Equity and Education Rights Illinois (PEER IL). Read Beatriz’ testimo ..read more