Will County Gazette

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that ending the cashless bail system would be a "more fair" way of handing bonds, as the governor awaits a ruling on the issue by the state Supreme Court.

“It’s a more fair system than to have some people sitting in jail for days, weeks or months when they just don’t happen to have the few hundred dollars, or couple of thousand dollars, again when they’ve committed a nonviolent crime, to be let out,” Pritzker said, in a story by the Lake & McHenry County Scanner.

The law ending cash bail statewide was passed with the SAFE-T Act in 2021, but lawmakers have amended the measure several times since then. Last fall, the Democrat-led Congress modified it to allow denial of pretrial release for several serious crimes, from murder to kidnapping and more.

State’s attorneys from across the state weren't swayed by the modifications, however, continuing their litigation against the law and securing a ruling in Kankakee County that blocked implementing no-cash bail for more than 60 counties.

Speaking to the Illinois Supreme Court, Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe argued that no-cash bail could lead to more than twice as many instances of police and sheriff's deputies encountering or stopping dangerous criminals who would have otherwise remained behind bars. Pritzker countered that Judges ultimately will have the final say on whether or not a suspect must make bond.

While the law was slated to go into effect at the start of the new year, the Illinois Supreme Court suspended the measure pending an appeal from the Pritzker Administration, legislative leaders and the Attorney General's office just before Jan. 1.

Pritzker has downplayed concerns over his million-dollar donation to the campaigns of two Supreme Court justice candidates who are now on the bench of seven. Critics argue that the perceived conflict is enough to taint the possible outcome of Court cases.