Women's Right to Privacy Initiative
Learn more about the new initiative to protect women's private health information in court documents.
Women's Right to Privacy Initiative
The Women's Right to Privacy Initiative was announced by the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
This pioneering initiative aims to protect the privacy of women whose reproductive health information appears in court records, which are currently available to the public. These records have been found in various legal contexts, including cases where women were victims of crime or involved in the criminal justice system and in civil law areas such as orders of protection and divorce cases.
The initiative will introduce new technology to review more than 100 million documents, then redact and seal records with relevant content.
If you are a woman who has been impacted and wish to seal your existing court documents, we would like to inform you that Clerk Martinez has made a list of legal resources available to you if you do not want to wait for this initiative to be passed through legislation.
If you require legal advice that is free or affordable, we recommended that you reach out to one of the well-known and respected organizations below that provides affordable legal assistance below:
Cabrini Green Legal Aid
https://www.cgla.net/get-legal-help
CGLA also has a help desk located at:
Richard J. Daley Center
10th Floor, Room 1006
50 West Washington Street Chicago, IL 60602
Special Hours: 9 a.m. – 12 noon, Monday, and Wednesday
(312) 738-2452
CARPLS
https://www.carpls.org/find-legal-aid
Advice Desk located at:
Richard J. Daley Center Concourse Level (CL) Room LL-16
50 West Washington Street Chicago, IL 60602
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
Zoom ID for Intake/Registration: 477 826 7667
Zoom Dial-in number: 312-626-6799
Illinois Justice Corps
(Volunteers – not attorneys)
Help Desk located at:
Richard J. Daley Center
Concourse Level (CL), Room LL-16
50 West Washington Street Chicago, IL 60602
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
(872) 529-1093
Women’s Bar Association of Illinois
WBAI@wbaillinois.org
(312) 341-8530
Other resources:
Media Alert - Initiative to Protect Women's Privacy in Court Records - March 12, 2024