Chambana Sun

State Rep. Mike Marron (R-Fithian) is calling out “radical leftists” after the reinstatement of the Safe-T Act’s cashless bail provision known as the Pretrial Fairness Act. 

On July 18, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled the provision in the SAFE-T Act, which ends cash bail, as constitutional, making Illinois the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail. Following the ruling, cashless bail can be applied to even the worst crimes such as murder and rape. The Act was opposed by 100 of 102 state’s attorneys in Illinois, 64 of which signed on to litigation to stop the law. 

“Illinois will be the first in the nation to utilize the no cash bail system at a time when crime in our state also remains top of the nation. This is thanks to the radical leftist progressive agenda being foisted on the people of Illinois by Democrat Governor JB Pritzker and supermajority Democrats in the House and Senate,” Marron said in a statement. “This decision is disappointing but is not surprising given the Democrat-stacked supreme court, which is another direct result of gerrymandered maps here in Illinois.” 

Marron believes that in the past three years “grandstanding Illinois Democrats were able to hide behind rhetorical platitudes justifying their complete overhaul of our criminal justice system." 

"[B]ut we will now start seeing the full extent of these implemented poor public policies that will not keep our families safe,” he said. “As the problems with the law were revealed, it was amended again and again to try to fix problems that Republican lawmakers and law enforcement officials predicted would and did happen. The SAFE-T Act has done nothing to reduce violent crime affecting our neighborhoods since it was passed in January 2021.” 

Marron suggests there should be "a balance between keeping our neighborhoods safe, protecting citizens’ rights, protecting victims of crime, and respecting law enforcement."

"House Republicans have brought forward comprehensive solutions to make our state a better and safer place to live, work, and raise a family,” he said. “After seven years of massive issues with many of the provisions implemented during the failed tenure of Cook County States Attorney Foxx, I sure hope the Democrat leaders are ready to take full responsibility for the negative consequences of this public safety experiment.”

In the historic decision, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled the provision of the SAFE-T Act, which ends cash bail, as constitutional, making Illinois the first state to eliminate cash bail. The 5-2 vote came after a six-month delay caused by legal challenges against the provision. Critics argued that the law restricts judges' discretion in detaining individuals. Courts across the state will have a two-month preparation period before the new bail rules take effect.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker donated $2 million to two Illinois Supreme Court justices' campaigns, Mary O'Brien and Elizabeth Rochford, despite a law capping campaign contribution limits at $500,000, The Heartlander reported. Both justices voted in favor of reinstating cashless bail in the SAFE-T Act. Critics have expressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest and call for oversight and recusal to maintain public trust in the judicial system.

“If we don’t have confidence in the opinions the judicial branch issues then our judicial branch is failing,” Chris Forsyth with the nonpartisan Judicial Integrity Project told The Center Square. “Political donations can lead to issues of judicial integrity and the United States Supreme Court has said so. In some cases, they have found political donations to be so grave that there is a conflict of interest that is impermissible.”

After the Illinois Supreme Court's ruling ending cash bail, Republicans are voicing opposition and calling for a special legislative session to amend the SAFE-T Act. They express concerns that eliminating cash bail could endanger residents, narrow the range of crimes for which judges can detain individuals, and impact funding for police departments, while Democrats support the court's decision. Republican leadership in the General Assembly hopes to address these concerns and make amendments before cash bail ends, which according to KHQA would be on Sept. 18.