Challenging the money bail system in Cook County
Robinson et al. v. Martin et al.
Civil Rights Corps filed a historic challenge to the unconstitutional money bail system in Cook County, Illinois. Our 2016 lawsuit alleged that the money bail system that pervaded the Chicago region, in which people are kept in jail cells solely because they cannot make monetary payments, is unconstitutional. In response to the lawsuit and community pressure, the Chief Judge issued a new standing order prohibiting wealth-based detention. As a result, the Cook County jail reached its lowest daily jail population in recorded history. Civil Rights Corps partnered on the case with the MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern and the Chicago-based law firm Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd.
With the help of this victory, an unprecedented coalition of community groups helped pass legislation eliminating the use of money bail in the entire state of Illinois.
Media Coverage:
Defendants Can’t Be Jailed Solely Because of Inability to Post Bail, Judge Says | New York Times | July 17, 2017
Lawsuit: Cash Bail in Cook County violates rights of poor accused of crimes | Injustice Watch | Oct 16, 2016
Partners:
Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd
Filings:
More from the Bail
In re Kowalczyk. In May 2026, the California Supreme Court issued one of the most liberatory decisions in U.S. history, unanimously holding that jailing a person pretrial simply because they can’t pay money bail is unconstitutional. The California Supreme Court also held that the vast majority of people accused of crimes must be released prior to trial under the California Constitution and reaffirmed rigorous procedural protections that the government must follow if it seeks to detain a presumed innocent person.
Since the landmark Humphrey ruling, our California habeas project has expanded: providing training and partnering, so far, with 17 county public defender and appointed defender offices spanning all 6 of California’s intermediate appellate districts and the California Supreme Court.
Sandoval v. Riverside. In May 2025, individuals detained in Riverside County jails filed a class action lawsuit challenging Riverside County’s cash-based jailing of individuals between their arrest and first court hearing, as well as Riverside County’s unnecessary delay of that hearing. Rabbi David Lazar and Reverend Jane Quandt chose to join this lawsuit because they view cash-based jailing as unconscionable. The lawsuit was filed against Riverside County Superior Court, Riverside County, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Chad Bianco.
In partnership with public defenders in Oregon, Civil Rights Corps is challenging Oregon’s longstanding practices of jailing people charged with misdemeanors prior to trial and jailing people charged with other crimes without constitutionally required due process.
Butler v. Prince George's County. In 2022, CRC and partners filed a class action lawsuit challenging Prince George’s County's pretrial detention practices. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that PG County and its officials violate Plaintiffs’ rights under the United States and Maryland Constitutions by detaining people pretrial without meeting the substantive and procedural standards required for pretrial detention.
Urquidi v. City of Los Angeles. CRC and co-counsel brought suit in California Superior Court in November 2022 on behalf of several individuals who had been jailed for five days simply because they could not access enough cash to pay for their freedom.
Mays v. Dart. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., many of us protected ourselves by isolating in our homes. For the millions of people trapped in jails and prisons across the country, this was not an option.
Caliste v. Cantrell. In 2017, Civil Rights Corps filed a landmark federal class action lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional money bail system in New Orleans, Louisiana.
McNeil v. Community Probation Services. In 2018, five named plaintiffs sued Giles County, TN and two private probation companies on behalf of a class of people who were being supervised on for-profit probation.