The Illinois Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday to uphold the elimination of cash bail marked a sweeping win for Gov. J.B. Pritzker and many progressive Democrats who argued that change was needed in a system where violent offenders could buy their way out of jail, while the poor await trial behind bars.
The decision comes eight months after Pritzker resoundingly defeated Republican Darren Bailey in the gubernatorial election, as the former state senator and downstate farmer railed against the Democratic governor’s criminal justice policies.
