Section Newsletters

Articles From Junaid M. Afeef

Judicial Mentoring and the Future of the Illinois Bench: Building Transparent, Equitable, and Merit-Based Pathways to Judicial Service By Junaid M. Afeef Bench and Bar, February 2026 In Illinois, as in most states, the path to becoming a judge is often opaque, informal, and heavily dependent on access to professional networks that are unevenly distributed across the legal profession. Judicial mentoring could help create more transparent pathways for highly qualified lawyers—particularly those from underrepresented communities, first‑generation professionals, and lawyers without access to elite professional circles—to become judges. 
Judicial Mentoring and the Future of the Illinois Bench: Building Transparent, Equitable, and Merit-Based Pathways to Judicial Service By Junaid M. Afeef Human and Civil Rights, February 2026 Attorney mentoring is long recognized as a valuable resource for aspiring attorneys or young attorneys; however, judicial mentoring is often overlooked. Judicial mentoring is not a luxury; it is an institutional necessity. In an era of declining public trust and increasing complexity in adjudication, Illinois cannot rely on informal pipelines and inherited privilege to staff its courts.
COVID-19, Jails, and Ending Cash Bail By Junaid M. Afeef Human and Civil Rights, June 2020 COVID-19 is shining a light on the plight of detainees resulting from a cash bail system.

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