On Tuesday, July 18, the Illinois Supreme Court issued its ruling on the constitutionality of Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act. In a 5-2 vote along partisan lines, the Supreme Court ruled that ending cash bail is constitutional, making Illinois the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail.
State Representative Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) issued the following statement in response to the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling:
“I am extremely disappointed, but not surprised, by today’s Supreme Court ruling. The so-called ‘SAFE-T’ Act is a pro-criminal, anti-police law passed by Democrats in a lame-duck General Assembly, which has now been upheld by a partisan vote of the Illinois Supreme Court.
“The Pretrial Fairness Act and the elimination of cash bail will result in violent criminals being released back onto our streets. This makes a mockery of our criminal justice system and will lead to a revolving door of dangerous criminals in and out of jail.
“Despite the Democrats’ SAFE-T being amended three different times since it was passed in January 2021, it has done nothing to reduce violent crime affecting neighborhoods across our state. Murders, shootings, armed robberies, and carjackings have gone through the roof as a result of this soft-on-crime, anti-police law being passed and upheld by Democrat majorities.
“It’s time to fix this mess and restore law and order in Illinois. We must strike a balance between keeping our neighborhoods safe, protecting our rights, protecting victims of crime, and respecting our police and law enforcement officers.”