South Central Reporter

Organizations that represent minority and immigrant groups in the Chicago-area have spoken out against Cook County's new proposed judicial subcircuit map unveiled by Democratic lawmakers last month.

Apna Ghar, an organization created to help immigrants, refugees, and survivors of gender-based violence, was one of several groups to voice concerns over the proposal and how it would impact areas such as Niles Township.

"Apna Ghar's clients and many of our partner agencies that help to support survivors of crime and civil rights violations are located significantly in the 50th and 39th Wards, as well as in Niles Township, therefore we need to ensure that our constituencies stay strong and strongly represented in this judicial subcircuit," Radhika Sharma-Gordon, the outreach and education manager at Apna Ghar, said during a House and Senate joint redistricting hearing on Dec. 16.

Sharma-Gordon said Apna Ghar knows how crucial it is for a judge to be able to understand and relate to what an immigrant or refugee has been through. 

"We need judges committed to addressing the multiple language injustices that many English language learners face in seeking justice and legal remedies when they experience crimes and civil rights violations," she said.  

Sharma-Gordon stressed the importance of keeping these communities unified and "respected as a unique community of interest."

"We oppose the current boundaries and we request efforts be made to amend this map and that consideration be taken of Niles Township, Asian-Americans, and the Jewish community," she said. 

According to Illinois Periodicals Online, the goal of judicial subcircuits was to add more minorities to the bench and eliminate politics from the process when they were first introduced in the 1990s. 

The proposed map for Cook County was released on Dec. 13, a press release on CapitolFax.com stated.

The release also noted that the number of subcircuits in the county would grow by five to a total of 20.