Chicago City Wire

An organization who helps survivors of gender-based violence has joined other minority leaders to take a stand against the new proposed judicial subcircuit maps for Cook County.

Radhika Sharma-Gordon, the outreach and education manager at Apna Ghar, was one of several people to testify against the proposed maps at a Dec. 16 House and Senate Joint Redistricting Committee hearing.

"We're very aware of the need for jurists who have strong connections to and understanding of immigrant and refugee experiences," Sharma-Gordon said during the hearing. "We need judges committed to addressing the multiple language injustices that many English language learners face in seeking justice and legal remedies when they experience crimes and civil rights violations."

Sharma-Gordon said diversity has been added to the bench because of judicial subcircuits, something she'd like to be continued. 

"Apna Ghar's clients and many of our partner agencies that help to support survivors of crime and civil rights violations are located significantly in the 50th and 39th Wards, as well as in Niles Township, therefore we need to ensure that our constituencies stay strong and strongly represented in this subcircuit."

She also stressed the need to keep respecting those communities as a "unique community of interest."

"We oppose the current boundaries and we request efforts be made to amend this map and that consideration be taken of Niles Township, Asian-Americans, and the Jewish community," she said during the hearing.

Judicial subcircuits were first introduced in the 1990s with the intent to put more minorities on the bench and take politics out of the process, according to the Illinois Periodicals Online. 

According to a press release published on CapitolFax.com, the proposed map was unveiled by Democratic lawmakers on Dec. 13.

The number of subcircuits would increase by five in Cook County and go from 15 to 20 under the proposed map, the release stated.