Transparency is not just a buzzword. It is a promise. For too long, that promise has gone unfulfilled in institutions that remain opaque, outdated and difficult to navigate. My office is turning that promise into practice.
Last week, we launched the Cook County clerk of the circuit court’s first-ever public-facing data dashboard — a major step toward open and accountable government.
This online tool gives residents direct access to case initiation data dating back to 2020. Users can filter information by area of law, court location and division. This is not simply a tech upgrade. It reflects a core belief: The public deserves clear, timely access to the workings of their courts.
When I ran for clerk, I pledged to modernize this office and make transparency a priority. This dashboard is the first step in delivering on that commitment. Cook County has one of the largest unified court systems in the nation, yet until now, there have been few tools for the public to see how it operates.
With this resource, residents can track case movement and better understand how our courts function. This is about more than data. It is about trust.
Trust in government must be earned through openness and communication. That is especially true in the justice system, where public confidence can make or break our institutions. A transparent court is a fairer court, and a fairer court strengthens our entire society.
SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.
Too often, government data is locked behind outdated systems or complex requests. That is not transparency. This dashboard removes those barriers and gives people the tools to engage. Whether you’re a journalist, advocate or curious resident, you now have a clearer view of your court system.
We will continue to add data, improve the dashboard and listen to public feedback. Our goal is to build a system that grows with the needs of the county.
I encourage every resident to explore the new dashboard and stay engaged. Government must be open, accessible and accountable to the people it serves. With this launch, we are laying the foundation for lasting transparency, and I am proud to lead with that commitment at the center of our work.
Mariyana T. Spyropoulos, Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Stand up and speak out
Activism is on the rise. People around the country have taken to the streets to protest and resist the dangerous policies of the Trump administration.
The question is: Why do we choose to be activists?
We’ve wondered how we’d respond in the face of fascism as so many did in Germany in the 1930s and ’40s. We admire the hundreds of thousands of people, many who were civilians, who were caught and executed, and whose sacrifice played an enormous role in defeating Hitler.
Historically, Americans have been activists at a personal cost. Women spent decades fighting for women to gain the right to vote — many were sent to jail. People who protested for civil rights, like John Lewis, were severely beaten by police for marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Young men were murdered trying to get African Americans the right to vote. This activism led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The Stonewall Riots were a critical event in the LGBTQ+ movement.
From the beginning, activism has been an important rhetorical tool for shaping and protecting our freedoms.
As we watch the daily crumbling of democracy and the assault on our freedoms, we feel a moral obligation to do what we can. Being silent is being complicit.
To quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor who was executed by the Nazis for his resistance activities: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act.”
Speaking out makes a difference. There are many ways to resist: a phone call to senators or representatives, an email to a politician expressing an opinion, donating to the American Civil Liberties Union or any organization fighting fascism, attending protests and town halls and writing op-eds.
Ordinary citizens can make a difference. Everyone must find a path of resistance that works for them.
We encourage others not to be like some who thought, “It will never really get that bad; things will work out.” They died in the Holocaust. In addition, we hope Americans won’t think, “I’ll just let other people speak for me.”
As Jews, we feel a special obligation to “Tikkun Olam” — repairing the world.
We must choose which side of history we’ll be on. Will we be able to say, “At least I tried,” or will we sit in silence, hoping everything works out?
What’s your choice?
Richard Cherwitz, professor emeritus, Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, and Deborah Rothschild, activist, Austin, Texas
Ambulance shortage can’t be ignored
When someone is having a heart attack or another severe health issue, time is critical in getting to the patient, beginning with treatment on the scene and later in the hospital. Minutes mean life or death, just like on the battlefield.
I have total praise for the Chicago Fire Department and the two CFD teams that saved my wife’s life. In the course of that experience, I learned there is a severe shortage of ambulances citywide, and that many times ambulances need to come from a fire station much further away than the nearest station. This must be remedied immediately by the city.
Rob Hart, Lincoln Park