Illinois to become first state to end use of cash bail

Illinois will become the first state in the U.S. to halt the use of cash bail after the state Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a law that was passed by the state legislature back in 2021. It will take effect in 60 days, on Sept. 18. 

In a 5-2 ruling, the state's highest court overturned a lower court's earlier ruling that said the law was unconstitutional. 

The elimination of cash bail was a provision of the SAFE-T ACT, a major criminal justice reform bill signed into law by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in early 2021. The portion of the bill eliminating cash bail had originally been slated to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023.