Chambana Sun

Vermilion County State's Attorney Jacqueline M. Lacy is suing Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul over the SAFE-T Act, which will result in the release of thousands of those awaiting trial for some of the worst crimes.

Lacy laid out a detailed timeline describing how the SAFE-T Act became law, Fox Illinois reported.

“As the chief legal officer in Vermilion County, I am compelled to inform those that I have sworn to protect that the proposals set forth in House Bill 3653, now Public Act 101-652, pose a serious threat to public safety, specifically, to victims of and witnesses to violent crimes in our community,” Lacy said in a press release. “On Jan. 10, 2021, Sen. Sims affixed a 604-page amendment to HB 3653 that, in addition to sweeping changes to law enforcement operations, conduct and use of force, also included the bulk of the bail modification provisions. At 3 a.m, on Jan. 13, 2021, HB 3653 was amended again by Sen. Sims, becoming 764 pages in length. During the debate in the Senate at approximately 4:30 a.m.”

Lacy said at 5 a.m., HB 3653 was called for a vote in the Senate by the Democratic super-majority and passed.

“That same morning, HB 3653 was sent to the House, its chief House sponsor was changed to Rep. Slaughter, and assigned to the Rules Committee. It immediately passed out of the Rules Committee and received exactly the 60 votes needed to pass in the House, again, after less than an hour of debate HB 3653 was sent to Gov. Pritzker on Feb. 4, 2021, and he signed it on Feb. 22, 2021,” she said. “The radical increase in the number of pages from the originally introduced bill to what is now Public Act 101-652 was not the only arresting difference. As evidenced by the synopsis of Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 to the bill, the range of issues covered by Amendment No. 2 of HB 3643, also increased from the narrow issue of voter registration for incarcerated individuals to a wide range of issues, including, but not limited to: Creation or modifications of at least 17 acts, task forces, criminal laws and boards.”

Lacy said the bill is an effort to dismantle law enforcement.

“In short, this poorly drafted bill containing ill-conceived directives is an effort to systematically dismantle law enforcement, which in turn would affect the integrity of every investigation, prosecution and the safety of every citizen of our community. We must stand with the men and women of law enforcement who consistently stand up for us,” Lacy said. “Therefore, I have filed a motion for declaratory judgement and injunctive relief in my official capacity as Vermilion County state's attorney and on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois. As set forth in the attached complaint for Declaratory Judgment, I am requesting the Court to find that HB 3653, now Public Act 101-652, violates Article I, section 8.1(a)(9); Article I, section 9; Article II, section 1; and Article IV. section 8(d) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970 and declare the law null and void. I am also requesting a preliminary injunction to prevent the enforcement of any bail provisions in the Public Act 101-652 until the case can be fully litigated.”

The lawsuit notes the law runs counter to the Illinois Constitution where it is noted the amendment “provides that (t)he right to have the safety of the victim and the victim’s family considered in denying or fixing the amount of bail, determining whether to release the defendant.”

Six state’s attorneys – both Democrat and Republican – have sued the Pritzker administration over the law.

One hundred of the 102 state's attorneys support repealing or changing the legislation, Madison - St. Clair Record reported.

Far-left state's attorneys Eric Rinehart for Lake County and Kim Foxx for Cook County are the only two outliers.

When the SAFE-T Act goes into effect on Jan. 1, thousands of criminals who are now being imprisoned in state prisons while they await trial on serious crimes will be freed.

Those charged with the most heinous crimes, such as robbery, abduction, arson, second-degree murder, intimidation, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, aggravated flight, drug-related homicide and threatening a public officer, will be set free if the SAFE-T Act is implemented as planned.