Co-Chairs

• Justice Gino DiVito
• Governor James R. Thompson

Commissioners

• State's Attorney Joseph E. Birkett
• Public Defender Edwin A. Burnette
• Justice Thomas E. Callum
• Vincent Cornelius
• Senator John Cullerton
• State's Attorney Richard Devine
• Senator Kirk Dillard
• Representative Jim Durkin
• Justice Rodolfo Garcia
• State's Attorney Robert Haida
• Attorney General Lisa Madigan
• Terri L. Mascherin
• Michael Metnick
• Representative Robert S. Molaro
• Giacomo A. "Jack" Pecoraro
• Appellate Defender Michael J. Pelletier
• Stephen Pugh
• Ted Street
• Judge Michael P. Toomin

Director

• Peter G. Baroni

Special Advisor

• John F. Decker

The goal of the CLEAR Initiative is to create a politically viable process to review and reform the entire Illinois Criminal Code. The Initiative will examine changes made through legislation over the past forty years, in an effort to edit and better align the Code to make it more readable, understandable, consistent and just.

The CLEAR Commission is co-chaired by Justice Gino DiVito and former Governor James R. Thompson and comprised of one representative appointed by each of the legislative leaders, the Governor, the Attorney General, criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, representatives from law enforcement and the director of the CLEAR Initiative, Peter G. Baroni -- with equal representation from the city of Chicago, the suburbs of Chicago, and downstate Illinois. The bi-partisan group will also reflect the diverse racial, educational, and ideological backgrounds of criminal law practitioners in the state.

The CLEAR Commissioners will share their expertise, judgment, and insight to complement the Legal Analysis Staff's efforts in analyzing changes made to the Code since 1961 and making recommendations for change. The CLEAR Commissioners will identify areas in need of in-depth legal research and advanced analytical review.