CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that he is confident a state law ending cash bail that was set to take effect New Year’s Day is constitutional despite a court ruling to the contrary, but that supporters will “come back at it” if the lower court ruling stands.
Speaking at an unrelated event in Chicago, the Democratic governor made his first public comments on the issue since a Kankakee County judge on Dec. 28 ruled that the Pretrial Fairness Act, which was to end cash bail as of Jan. 1, was in violation of the Illinois Constitution. The Illinois Supreme Court on New Year’s Eve stopped the act from going into effect statewide amid confusion over how widely the lower court’s ruling would apply.
“I’m disappointed that there’s a delay in the implementation,” Pritzker said. “Justice shouldn’t be delayed.”
