Dear John: It appears that President Trump has signed an executive order targeting jurisdictions that have implemented reforms to their money bond systems. There's still some question about what exactly this means, but it's been reported that the order will "revoke federal funding from local and state governments that allow cashless bail." This is very concerning for us, as Illinois was the first state in the country to abolish money bond in 2023 with the Pretrial Fairness Act.
As you're all aware, our Collaboration partner—Chicago Appleseed—is a founding member and continues to co-lead the Coalition to End Money Bond/Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, which is the coalition behind the passage of the Pretrial Fairness Act. The Pretrial Fairness Act is one of the most significant reforms to the Illinois criminal legal system ever and it would be devastating if something like this limited or reversed the progress that the law has made. |
We urge our members to take these actions today:
- Use the online tool to contact Illinois lawmakers in support of protecting the Pretrial Fairness Act and share the link widely with your networks.
- Share these posts from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice on your Facebook, Twitter, and BlueSky accounts and/or draft your own posts to share.
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We must address this attack head-on.
Use this online letter tool to call on Governor Pritzker and Illinois legislators to protect the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Our elected officials are going to face more pressure to roll back the law than ever before. Let's make sure they know where the people of Illinois stand. Join us and our partners in the Illinois Network of Pretrial Justice by writing to lawmakers with a few clicks. |
Need a refresher? Money bond punishes people for their poverty by keeping those who can’t afford to buy their freedom in jail pretrial. In 2023, the Pretrial Fairness Act abolished money bond in Illinois and laid the groundwork for incredible improvements to the state’s pretrial system. Thousands of people from our state came together to end this injustice, including the Chicago Council of Lawyers and our members. Thank you for taking a stand to protect this historic reform. |
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