On the eve of the last presidential election in 2016 I wrote about which states allowed convicted felons to vote. At the time it was estimated that 6.1 million U.S. citizens – 2.5% of all potentially eligible voter -- could not vote due to a felony conviction. In the four years since writing that article I can at least report that a few states have since changed course -- making it easier for ex-felons to regain their right to vote.
Read MoreRecently, two clients of mine underwent job-related, criminal background checks. In one case, the background check falsely reported that my client had an outstanding warrant for an old felony case. She lost the job opportunity.
In the other instance, the background check disclosed a felony conviction I’d helped my client seal several years earlier. At the time of this writing, I do not know if my client, who was originally hired without undergoing a background check but then applied for a promotion – prompting the recent background check – still has a job.
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Much has been written about the absence of fathers in African American households. There are many factors contributing to this family crisis, not the least being that our criminal justice system disproportionately targets men and boys of color -- many of whom are fathers.
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The Georgia Congressman came to Chicago at the invitation of the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, a non-profit, Evanston-based, legal aid agency. Rep. Lewis agreed to be the guest of honor at the Moran Center’s annual spring gala that year. It’s not that often I get excited about meeting a public figure. In 2018, I was fortunate to meet Congressman John Lewis. I was excited.
Read MoreStarting July 1, 2020, if you have unpaid parking tickets or toll charges, the Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) is no longer required to suspend or revoke your license. And, if your license is currently suspended for these reasons, the SOS will automatically reinstate your license at no cost to you.
Read MoreIn 2016, I was working with a client, an African-American man in his early 30s, who kept getting arrested because another man, living in Indiana, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest and both men shared the same name and date of birth.
One morning I got a call from my client’s girlfriend. She informed me that Steve (not his real name) had been arrested by the Chicago Police and was in custody at the 7th District police station, in Englewood. She had no further details. I told her I would find out what was going on, assuming that the Indiana warrant was the problem.
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