Thanks so much to everyone who celebrated Injustice Watch's 10th birthday with bowling, magic, and more. It meant the world that so many people braved the cold to spend the evening with us. Cheers to the next decade of impactful investigative journalism 🥂

@injusticewatch.org is out with an encyclopedic take by @mdoukmas.bsky.social on Timothy Evans, low-key one of the most consequential Chicagoans of the last 50 years.

All manner of interesting and fun stuff in today's @injusticewatch.org newsletter including my recommendations for seasonal horror movies. I personally do not condone the Chicago Bears but @kellygarcia.bsky.social has a recommendation if they're your thing. www.injusticewatch.org/subscribe/

Senior reporter Maya Dukmasova spent months interviewing dozens of people to learn what Timothy Evans, Cook County’s outgoing chief judge, will be remembered for. (with @chicagomag.com) buff.ly/I8R6R5I

in this week's make it make sense, the @chicagoreader.com's weekly news roundup: 1/ cook county swears in the first new chief judge in a quarter century. i write that charles s. beach takes over at Beach takes over at a pivotal moment for the cook county judiciary.

Timothy Evans’ leadership style as chief judge of Cook County was lauded by some as thoughtful and considered, and criticized by others as hands-off and reactive. (with @chicagomag.com) buff.ly/I8R6R5I

🚨 There are less than 3 hours left of #GivingNewsDay, and we're about $600 away from our fundraising goal. Can you chip in? Every donation today is being matched, and gifts of $50 or more come with your choice of Injustice Watch merch. buff.ly/5VFbgqa

Last chance! ⚠️ Donate $50 or more to Injustice Watch today, we’ll send you a merch item of your choice as a thank you. Support our investigations and the next judicial election guide. buff.ly/5VFbgqa

I know you want an IW mug and some warm socks. Also, they are great gifts for fellow Chicagoans who love our work. ❤️🧑‍⚖️

We’re hard at work preparing our next judicial election guide. If you’re among the hundreds of thousands of people who have used our guides in the past, please consider making a donation to Injustice Watch before the end of the day. buff.ly/5VFbgqa

It's #GivingTuesday and if you are in Cook County, Illinois and have the resources, a donation to @injusticewatch.org will help support the work they do on our behalf everyday (personally, could never make it through the county judicial ballots without their excellent research)

Our work relies on the support of readers. Our small but mighty team has a ton of important stories in the works for the coming year. We truly appreciate your support! Thank you! Donate here: www.injusticewatch.org/donate/

3. This week we're celebrating 10 years of investigative reporting that has sparked policy reforms, prompted official investigations, generated community action, and led to meaningful changes in the lives of people we’ve covered. (Join us for our birthday party! 🎂) www.eventbrite.com/e/injustice-...

2. Our judicial election guides are an indispensable tool for voters who want to be informed when they go to the polls. We're hard at work on our next guide (for the March 17, 2026 primary election) — but our guides take an immense about of work and resources. www.injusticewatch.org/topics/judge...

1. We're the only news organization in Chicago focused exclusively on the court system. We publish stories you won't find anywhere else, like @mdoukmas.bsky.social's profile yesterday of longtime chief judge Tim Evans: www.injusticewatch.org/judges/court...

I know you're getting a lot of appeals today for #GivingTuesday. Let me make a quick case for why you should support @injusticewatch.org on this #GivingNewsDay. A short 🧵: www.injusticewatch.org/donate/

It's #GivingNewsDay and it's the perfect day to send some of your coins to @injusticewatch.org! Support our trailblazing journalism about your local courts, we are the only news org in Chicago dedicated to investigative reporting about the judicial branch of government! www.injusticewatch.org/donate

All donations to Injustice Watch today will be matched, and if you donate $50 or more, we’ll send you a merch item of your choice as a thank you! buff.ly/5VFbgqa

A few months ago we sent a resource guide to 5,000 homeowners at risk of losing their homes to property tax foreclosure. Several wrote back saying they had no idea they were behind on taxes. That’s just one of several mailings we’ve done this year — your support lets us continue outreach like this.

This story by @mdoukmas.bsky.social is not only a deeply reported, behind-the-scenes look at the man who’s steered Cook County’s courts for the last quarter century — it’s also a master class in profile writing. Make time to read it!

Tim Evans is Cook County’s longest-serving chief judge—and one of its most storied politicians. As he leaves office today after 24 years, @mdoukmas.bsky.social looks back on his legacy and the mark he left on the nation’s second-largest court system. www.injusticewatch.org/judges/court...

To learn more about the court he’s inheriting and the man who’s shaped it for the past quarter-century, check out @mdoukmas.bsky.social’s latest: www.injusticewatch.org/judges/court...

Every donation received today will help Injustice Watch continue to produce impactful investigative journalism that holds power to account and has a real impact on our community. buff.ly/5VFbgqa

Timothy Evans, Cook County’s longest-serving chief judge, is also among its most storied politicians. As he leaves office after 24 years, where does his tenure leave the courts? [In collaboration with @injusticewatch.org ] www.chicagomag.com/news/timothy...

If you live in the Chicago area, the chief judge of Cook County might be the most consequential local official you've never heard of. The position has been held by one man — Timothy Evans — for the past 24 years. Read the latest from us and @chicagomag.com: buff.ly/I8R6R5I

This one goes out to my friend and former colleague Ben Joravsky, who taught me most of what I know about Chicago politics. And to all the @injusticewatch.org fans who read us to understand our courts. I've been waiting to write this story for almost a decade! www.injusticewatch.org/judges/court...

NEW from us and @chicagomag.com: When Timothy Evans was elected chief judge in 2001, he declared his political days were behind him. But Evans — who leaves office today — persevered in part because he was a savvy politician. buff.ly/I8R6R5I

this guide is truly indispensable for navigation the most picayune, tedious, & *locally important" part of the job of being an "informed voter"

Invaluable work here. I would not have known what to do last year or would’ve had to do hours upon hours of research. Injustice Watch just skeets it out. Really awesome stuff.

Hey instead of buying more plastic how about spending your hard earned cash on supporting local journalism?! @injusticewatch.org is celebrating our 10th birthday next week and we're throwing a bday party every 10 year old can only dream of: bowling, magic, prizes, and grownup drinks. Come out!

Really need Chicago legal community to come through with TIPS and info about these people running for judge!! The survey is confidential!

Most people running for Cook County judge seats in March are currently attorneys. Do you have experience working with them? Inform our next judicial election guide by sending your tips!

As we work on our next judicial election guide, we want to hear from you: What should voters know about these attorneys and judges? If you recognize any of these names, send us your tips. buff.ly/DlOqYRA

“We have lots of choices in how we manage kids in the criminal justice system, and I hope this new chapter centers on their personal growth, mental health, and education,” said Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen. buff.ly/ZZv7sng

Join us Dec. 4 at Avondale Bowl to celebrate Injustice Watch's 10th birthday. Tickets include food, cocktails, bowling, magic, and more — and will help fuel the next decade of judicial election guides and impactful investigative journalism. buff.ly/T0E1oy8

“It’s difficult to look at the video and not see callous disregard for the health and safety of the youth at the detention center,” said Stephanie Kollmann, policy director at the Children and Family Justice Center. buff.ly/vTpZTTP

🎉 Congratulations to senior reporters Alejandra Cancino and Maya Dukmasova, who took home the Sarah Brown Boyden Award for Best Investigation from the Chicago Journalists Association last week for "The Tenant Trap."

“A change in leadership at the juvenile temporary detention center is long overdue,” said Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board member Amanda Klonsky. “The young people there deserve a superintendent who is present and accountable.” buff.ly/RP4himt

i often get asked why it's so difficult to figure out how to cover local judges, or how to approach voting for them. this Chicago publication has a great project of crowd-sourcing information for the next few months. check them out/spread the word!

🧵 A thread on our next judicial election guide — and how you can help!

“I find it hard to believe someone found that there was an imminent threat of safety such that it justified a use of force,” said Candice Jones, former director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. “... none of these staff people look threatened.” buff.ly/uM9m0zx

Some breaking news for your Friday afternoon: Cook County juvenile detention center superintendent Leonard Dixon is resigning after more than a decade at the helm. More from @kellygarcia.bsky.social @injusticewatch.org: www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

BREAKING: Leonard Dixon, the superintendent of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is stepping down after ten years. His resignation is effective Dec. 1. buff.ly/RP4himt

"The video was 'horrific.'" "They swing [the 15-year-old boy] with such force that I couldn't tell whether or not he hits the wall going down, because once he gets on the floor he pretty much becomes prone for the rest of the time." "He could have died." #Illinois #USA #Incarceration #Courts

A juvie guard was found not guilty of battery and official misconduct last week. “The defendant puts his hand on [the child] and maybe pushes him at best,” the judge in the case said. “There is no picking up and throwing down.” Watch the video. Tell me if you agree and if you also agree that 2+2=5.

On Oct. 31, a judge acquitted former Cook County juvenile jail guard Kevin Walker of battery and official misconduct saying, “The defendant puts his hand on [the boy] and maybe pushes him at best.” Now, you can watch the video for yourself.

Here's a closer look at the surveillance video at the center of the Kevin Walker trial. Read the full story: www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...

Rendering a child unconscious and then locking him alone in a cell is inexcusable in any event, much less when he has not been violent But as a reminder, the precipitating incident here was that a teenager did not want to get up in the morning

NEW: Newly released video of a December 2023 incident inside the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has raised questions about a judge’s decision to acquit one of the officers involved, experts and advocates told Injustice Watch. buff.ly/uM9m0zx

If you’ve followed Injustice Watch for a while, you know Verónica Martinez’s work. Her mural in our office is her most time-intensive project for us to date. Her sources of inspiration ranged from Carl Sandburg to Diego Rivera.https://buff.ly/tQoxZHK