After the Majority Party passed amendments to the SAFE-T Act during the last day of veto session, the hearing for the lawsuit challenging the law’s implementation was pushed back to Dec. 20, just 11 days before the law’s “no cash bail” provision is to take effect. The lawsuit was filed by state’s attorneys and sheriffs throughout the state. A ruling is now expected by Dec. 28.
Meanwhile, Governor JB Pritzker announced that he had signed the recently passed House Bill 1095, which contained the changes to the SAFE-T Act. The changes include some expansion on the types of offenses that are eligible for pre-trial detention and broadening the definition of “willful flight” to make it less burdensome on prosecutors to prove that someone is a flight risk.
Despite these changes, State Senator Sue Rezin believes they fall way too short and don’t make the state any safer than it was before their passage. Not only is the legality of the SAFE-T Act still in question, but it does not provide the necessary judicial discretion in criminal cases.