GROUNDBREAKING: Illinois Supreme Court upholds end to cash bail; new system begins Sept. 18

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CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld a state law ending cash bail across the state, giving courts two more months before they must implement the change.

Illinois will now be the first state to fully abolish cash bail.

In a 5-2 ruling Tuesday morning, the state's highest court overturned a ruling by a Kankakee County judge that the law ending cash bail was unconstitutional. The end to cash bail will now go into effect across the entire state on Sept. 18, according to the Illinois Supreme Court ruling.

"The Illinois Constitution of 1970 does not mandate that monetary bail is the only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public. Our constitution creates a balance between the individual rights of defendants and the individual rights of crime victims. The Act's pretrial release provisions set forth procedures commensurate with that balance," Justice Mary Jane Theis wrote in the ruling.

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/illinois-supreme-court-ruling-cash-bail-safe-t-act/

[NowsTheTime]

1. I hope this works out....it is a good thing..

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-recaps/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-cash-bail-reform-1234621182/

[Celerity]

2. there's still a chance they'll remain locked up if a judge believes they're a danger to the public,

a risk of fleeing prosecution, or charged with a serious enough felony.

"You may be detained, you may be locked up based upon your being a risk of flight, or the crime is so outrageous. Typically, the most serious crimes in Illinois, we don't want people actually running back out on the street. So the legislature drew a line as to where people should be detained, and where people should be released, but they also drew the line that people don't have to post money to get out of jail. That's not an issue," he said.

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3. I have no problem with that, but...

For these pissy minoroffenses that some local cop thought was important enough to detain the person...they don't need to languish in jail. It's pure stupidity.

[Celerity]

4. Agree, I was just posting that part of the article to show that someone like a mass shooter is not

going to be let out under the new no cash bail law.