Cook County Public Defender's Office

We're thrilled to share that last night, the Illinois General Assembly passed our bill to ensure people who complete programming in county jails can access sentence credit as intended under current law! This important bill will standardize access to sentencing credit across the state and improve public safety.

We thank our sponsors State Senator Laura Ellman, State Representative Norma Hernandez , State Representative Justin Slaughter, State Representative Anne Stava, & State Representative Diane Blair-Sherlock for their leadership on this legislation.

This bill was a joint effort of our office along with the DuPage County Public Defender's Office, Alliance for Safety and Justice , John Howard Association of Illinois, & The Women's Justice Institute - WJI!

New reporting from Block Club Chicago takes another look at an Illinois State Police (ISP) trooper who is accused of repeatedly using dishonest practices to arrest people for DUIs. Assistant Public Defenders in our Bridgeview office found inconsistencies, including copied and pasted statements, in ISP Trooper Kevin Bradley’s police reports. Bradley had been honored by ISP for making record numbers of DUI arrests, which also substantially increased his salary.

For the drivers who were arrested, clearing their names can take years. Even if they are found not guilty or the case was dismissed, the arrest remains on their records until they take affirmative steps to expunge it.

🔗 Read the additional coverage: https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/28/states-top-dui-cop-still-on-medical-leave-months-after-being-accused-of-fabricating-evidence/

🎉 We're celebrating another legislative win for greater equity in Illinois' legal system. HB4217 will give public defender's offices the opportunity to represent clients in statutory summary suspension (SSS) hearings when they are already representing that client in a traffic case.

SSS hearings are civil proceedings that determine if someone will lose access to their driver's license. Previously, public defenders could not represent clients in these hearings, meaning indigent clients had no counsel for SSS hearings even if they had valid legal arguments. Once this bill is signed into law and takes effect, public defender's offices will be able to elect to represent clients in SSS hearings if they are already representing the client in criminal proceedings.

This will improve outcomes for clients who cannot afford private counsel and increase court efficiency. Ultimately, this bill protects vulnerable people from losing their driver's licenses and levels the playing field between individuals who can afford private counsel for SSS hearings and those who cannot. This bill was proposed and developed by attorneys in our office's traffic practice and the Chicago Bar Foundation.

We thank our sponsors, State Representative Rick Ryan and Senator Robert Martwick for their leadership, as well as our partners in passing this bill The Chicago Bar Foundation, The Chicago Bar Association, and Cook County Government.

For our clients who are detained by ICE, appearing in court quickly becomes out of their control. While in immigration custody, only a request from the prosecutors and compliance from the Department of Homeland Security can facilitate their appearance in Cook County Circuit Court over Zoom. Despite this lack of control over whether they can access their scheduled hearings, many clients who are in immigration custody—and even some who have already been deported—are subject to warrants for their "failure to appear" in court. These warrants can effect their future opportunities to reunite with family and access other legal remedies.

Thanks to our clients who shared their stories as well as Assistant Public Defenders Luke Kula, Lupe Perez, and Nick Moroni for their advocacy captured in this article about how Cook County traffic courts are responding to the current immigration enforcement environment.

🔗Read the full story from Injustice Watch: https://www.injusticewatch.org/criminal-courts/prosecutors/2026/traffic-court-warrants-after-deportation/

We’re thrilled to share that the Protecting Innocent Families Act (HB 3169) passed the Illinois House General Assembly unanimously and will be sent to Governor J.B. Pritzker for his signature! This bill is a major win for families that will provide enhanced transparency and procedural safeguards if parents become involved in Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) investigations. The Protecting Innocent Families Act will be especially impactful for Black families and families whose children have complex medical conditions, reinforcing their due process rights and accountability measure for DCFS.

We thank the bill’s sponsors Senate Majority Leader, Kimberly Lightford and State Representative Mary Beth Canty for your leadership!

Congratulations to Family Justice Resource Center, who led this effort for the past several years, as well as Legal Action Chicago, and the 18 other organizations who supported this legislation.

Last week Cook County Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr. joined WBEZ’s 'Say More' to take questions from the public. Sharone spoke with callers about the post-conviction process, the Pretrial Fairness Act, and the office’s work defending immigrants.

🔗Stream the episode now: https://www.wbez.org/say-more-with-mary-dixon-patrick-smith/2026/05/15/cook-county-public-defender-sharone-mitchell-takes-questions-from-wbez-listeners

Two Defenders in our Bridgeview courthouse spoke to ABC7’s I-Team about their findings that led them to believe an Illinois State Police trooper repeatedly used dishonest practices to increase his DUI arrests—inflating his reputation and his salary while he was at it. They have called for the State to investigate ISP Trooper Kevin Bradley.

Thanks to Assistant Public Defenders Rae Sanonetti and Andrew Segal for sharing these findings and advocating for an investigation.

Read and watch the full story: https://abc7chicago.com/post/top-cop-public-defenders-say-illinois-state-police-trooper-kevin-bradley-copied-pasted-findings-arrest-reports-years/19102014/

Today is the anniversary of the opening of the Freedom Defense Center of Roseland. We are proud of the work we've accomplished these last twelve months, and we are grateful to the community members and partners who have made this all possible. We're looking forward to continuing our fight for justice in collaboration with residents.

Visit us in Roseland for comprehensive and accessible legal defense, social services, and education through community collaboration.

Our office's legal team won M.G.'s immigration case, proving that if he returned to El Salvador he would be at significant risk of being tortured. Still, after 14 months in ICE detention, the Trump Administration deported M.G. to Mexico. Our Immigration Division attorney, paralegal, and social worker continued to fight for him to achieve asylum in Mexico, but he was ultimately deported from Mexico to El Salvador earlier this year.

The Trump Administration's practice of removing people to third countries defies the protections of asylum and international law, and it ultimately puts people like M.G. in incredibly dangerous situations. Without a lawyer, it’s almost impossible to fight these removals. Even with an experienced legal team, we were ultimately unable to prevent M.G.’s removal. Now, we must share his harrowing story as other legal challenges to these policies proceed in the courts.

If you or a loved one have an immigration court date or an ICE check-in, consider asking someone to go with you. If you need help identifying someone to accompany you, call the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Family Support hotline at 855-435-7693 to be connected to a supportive community group. To volunteer in support of our immigrant neighbors or find additional resources, visit illinoisimmigrationinfo.org.

Read the full article: https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/12/tortured-in-el-salvador-detained-for-over-a-year-then-deported-anyway/

Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr. joined ABC7 last week to talk about the impact of the Pretrial Fairness Act and push back on calls to make pretrial detention mandatory. While opponents of the law claimed that no one would come to court and violence would skyrocket, none of that has come to pass. Instead, judges now have more information and spend more time making better decisions, and access to money plays no role in who is released and who is detained.

🔗 Watch Sharone's full interview here: https://abc7chicago.com/videoClip/19075018/