Equal Justice for All

There’s new hope for equal justice in the state of Illinois, coming in the shape of grant funding for the courts to the tune of $100,000. This grant is a part of the Justice for All Projects, the grant is being given by the National Center for State’s Courts, according to the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. The majority of this grant funding is to focus on expanding justice to all in Illinois, especially those who might be most vulnerable. 

The National Center for State’s Courts is granting 100K to the court system in Illinois in the interest of expanding equal justice.  

The court system in Illinois have faced significant funding issues over the years, and in September it was reported that a budget increase, the first in six years would actually allow for the court to fulfill its financial responsibility. Previously, costs that ran over the too-low budget were paid by local governments, leading to a backlog the court’s budget. This increase would allow for the court to maintain it’s financial responsibilities, and pay back those funds. And now, with these grant funds coming in, it seems that equal justice, or at least the hope of it might be on the horizon. 

These grants were created to “meaningful access to effective assistance” in civil legal matters with input from inside and out of the court system. 

The director of the Lawyer’s Trust Fund of Illinois, Mark Marquardt, had this to say about the current state of justice and the judicial process: “too many people see the civil justice system as remote, complex and unresponsive.”

Hopefully this is just the start of a new day for justice for all in Illinois, as well as the first of many programs helping along in the betterment of the communities in Illinois.

Authored by Lianne Hikind