“Communities of color have said loud and clear throughout these hearings that we are uncomfortable with this year’s redistricting process, and we do not feel reassured that our rights are being respected,” said Senior Counsel Ami Gandhi.
Read More
Leaders in Indiana should be improving voting conditions instead of perpetuating the status quo.
Read More
For the last six months, Amy Cook has been working part-time at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee through a pro bono residency funded by the Chicago Bar Foundation called the Justice Entrepreneurs Program (JEP). As she prepares to end her fellowship, the attorney and award-winning former Editor-in-Chief of the CBA’s “The Record” shared some of her experiences with us.
Read More
Last week, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee joined seven other civil rights and fair housing advocacy groups to file an amicus brief in federal district court defending legal protections for Black, Latinx, and other communities of color who seek housing.
Read More
“While AVR was intended to expand Illinois’ voting rolls in a fair, accurate, and secure way, the law’s implementation fell short of that,” said Senior Counsel Ami Gandhi of Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, which is representing the advocacy groups.
Read More
Last Friday, Illinois legislators voted to pass HB 1443, a bill that aims to make the cannabis industry fairer and more accessible to Black and Latinx communities who’ve been disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs.
Read More
“We know that Illinois is capable of doing better to protect voting rights of people of color. And Illinois should do better.”
Read More
“I don't think that only Fortune 500 companies should have access to high quality legal services. It's important for all lawyers to use the skills that they have to help where they can.”
Read More
Voting rights advocates cheered as the Illinois House of Representatives voted on Friday to approve SB 2116, a law that further strengthens civics education and voter access in Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) facilities. The law passed on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 110-0 and now heads to Governor Pritzker’s desk.
Read More
The law will reduce barriers for civically engaged parents and community leaders to serve as Local School Council (LSC) members, promoting more diverse and inclusive representation in Chicago’s public schools.
Read More
In a significant victory for voters and community leaders, the Indiana State Legislature dropped SB 353 Thursday, a bill that would have significantly restricted access to voting-by-mail by placing overly burdensome and unnecessary ID requirements on absentee ballots.
Read More
Segregation in Chicago is getting worse, not better. If Fair Housing Month means celebrating the passage of the 1968 federal Fair Housing Act, it should also mean being honest about the persistent barriers that have undermined the law’s intended outcome.
Read More
As local elections took place throughout Illinois on Tuesday, our legal volunteers answered dozens of calls to the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline from people who needed help voting.
Read More
This April, we’ll celebrate the organizers and advocates who fight housing discrimination and shine a light on the work still needed to desegregate our city and country.
Read More
Just like a proof-of-citizenship requirement rejected in February, this proposal would certainly violate federal legal protections and would disenfranchise marginalized community members, including voters of color, voters with disabilities, and seniors.
Read More
Throughout most of the United States, including here in Illinois, many take it as a given that citizens who are convicted of a crime and incarcerated in prison also lose their right to vote. But these laws, which are rooted in medieval practice and were underscored during the Jim Crow period, make little sense today.
Read More
This week, we are welcoming three outstanding new members to our Board of Directors.
Read More
More than a year into cannabis legalization in Illinois, profits from the booming industry (including a staggering $1 billion in sales) have flowed to white-owned companies while Black and Latinx businesses remain shut out of the industry.
Read More
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights stands in mournful solidarity with Asian American communities across this country in calling for an end to hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – and against all women of color.
Read More
“Any humane person would know they deserve better. That is why they turn to the court."
Read More