Illinois Supreme Court Halts Elimination Of Cash Bail

FILE – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul speaks at a rally to call on the National Archivist to publish the Equal Rights Amendment as an amendment in the Constitution, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 28, 2022. Raoul on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, filed paperwork with the state Supreme Court to appeal a local judge’s ruling that eliminating cash bail for criminal defendants is unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

The Illinois Supreme Court is halting the elimination of cash bail in the state. The state’s high court issued the ruling Saturday, one day before the criminal justice reform was set to take effect. The bail system overhaul is the most controversial provision of the state’s SAFE-T Act. Last week, a Kankakee County judge ruled that ending cash bail was unconstitutional. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul appealed the judge’s decision to the Illinois Supreme Court on Friday.