Illinois Judge Couldn’t Order Indefinite Detention, Court Finds

An Illinois judge had no authority to order a woman jailed indefinitely on a low-level felony case, the state Supreme Court found Thursday, rejecting the judge’s claims that he could do so to keep his docket running smoothly despite a law preventing it.

Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act—which eliminated cash bail statewide and set limits on which defendants can be detained pretrial—does not violate the separation of powers as the judge claimed, the court found in a unanimous opinion written by Justice Lisa Holder White.

“The court’s judicial authority must be construed in tandem with the legislature’s long-recognized authority to regulate ...