Lake County Gazette

In response to the Illinois Supreme Court's ruling declaring the end of cash bail as constitutional, Dan Rogers, chairman of the Shields Township GOP, criticized the decision and raised concern about its impact on the safety of the people in his community. He posted his concerns on the organization's website July 28, after the Supreme Court issued its ruling.

"The Illinois Supreme Court's recent decision to declare the abolishment of cash bail as constitutional is not only blatantly partisan but directly threatens the safety of residents of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Knollwood, North Chicago and all of Illinois," Rogers said on the website. "Supreme Court justices are supposed to protect us and our rights to safety from the radical whims of partisan politicians in Springfield, not act as partisan politicians themselves. Our residents deserve better."

According to CBS News, the Illinois Supreme Court issued an opinion July 18 that upheld a state law that ends cash bail in Illinois. The law will go into effect in two months. Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis wrote the opinion with Justices P. Scott Neville, Joy V. Cunningham and Elizabeth M. Rochford concurring. Justice Mary K. O'Brien concurred with his own opinion.

In a dissenting opinion, Justices David Overstreet and Lisa Holder White wrote: [the end to cash bail is a] "direct violation of the plain language of our constitution's bill of rights and, more specifically, the vested rights of crime victims," according to CBS News.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, called the ruling "a monumental milestone toward achieving equal justice for all in Cook County and Illinois," in a statement shared with CBS News. Foxx and Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart were the only two of 102 state attorneys in Illinois to support this decision. 

The ruling reviewed a portion of the criminal justice law enacted in 2022 commonly known as the SAFE-T Act, CBS News continued. The provision to end cash bail was set to go into effect Jan. 1, but was out on hold by the courts after prosecutors and sheriffs in 64 counties filed lawsuits claiming the law was unconstitutional.

In a Facebook post, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police called the decision, "a slap in the face to those who enforce our laws and the people those laws are supposed to protect.”

They went on to say, "Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court confirms Illinois’ status as the state of lawlessness and disorder. The court ignored the pleas of nearly every prosecutor in the state of Illinois, Democrat and Republican, that the elimination of cash bail will put dangerous criminals back on the street, instead of keeping them in jail or forcing them to post cash bail as they await trial. Many of those offenders will commit crimes again within hours of their release. And who will have to arrest those offenders again and again? The police officers whose jobs have been made immeasurably more difficult by all of the new anti-law enforcement measures that are in place."

Illinois governor JB Pritzker said in a news release, "I look forward to continuing to work with the General Assembly and our many other partners as we transition to a more equitable and just Illinois."