UIC Law Professor s Work Critical to Passage of Criminal Justice Reform Bill
March 03, 2021 12:24 ET | Source: UIC John Marshall Law School UIC John Marshall Law School Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES
Chicago, Illinois, March 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) On January 13, a bill focusing on comprehensive criminal justice reform passed the Illinois House and Senate. This comes months after the Illinois Senate Criminal Law and Special Committee on Public Safety held its first joint hearing on police use of force. During that hearing, Samuel V. Jones, a professor of law and associate dean at UIC John Marshall Law School, testified in support of criminal justice reform.
Pontiac Daily Leader
Justice Rita B. Garman and the Supreme Court of Illinois have announced the appointment of Carla E. Barnes as an at-large Circuit Court Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Barnes will be the first African-American judge in the Eleventh Circuit.
Barnes is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Scott D. Drazewski on Dec. 31, 2020. The appointment takes effect on Feb. 11, 2021, and will conclude on Dec. 5, 2022, when the vacancy will be filled by the winner of the November 2022 general election.
“The screening committee found Carla Barnes to be extremely well-qualified for the position of circuit judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, and I am pleased that the Court unanimously agreed with that assessment,” Justice Garman said. “She has served the people of McLean County in the Public Defender’s Office for 19 years and has been the Chief Public Defender since 2014. Considering her diverse background and her experience