SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Board of Governors of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) approved a resolution at its July meeting in support of the federal Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act of 2012, S. 2197 (Murkowski, R-Alaska).

The act codifies Brady v. Maryland to require the attorney for the U.S. government to disclose favorable information to the defendant in criminal prosecutions. Instances of the withholding of exculpatory evidence favorable to the accused have been cited in several cases, including the conviction of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens.

The act is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee. ISBA will be communicating its support to Illinois Senator Richard Durbin, who sits as a member of the Judiciary Committee, as well as other members of the Illinois Congressional delegation.

ISBA’s 27-member Board of Governors voted to support S. 2197 on the unanimous recommendation of the ISBA Criminal Justice Section.

The 33,000-member ISBA (isba.org), with offices in Springfield and Chicago, provides professional services to Illinois lawyers, and education and services to the public through a website (illinoislawyerfinder.com), a cable television program (“Illinois Law”), consumer brochures, and distribution of legal, informational news to daily and weekly newspapers.