(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez says her office has launched an effort to better protect women’s private information that may be embedded in court records.
Because court records are now digitized, Martinez on Tuesday said it’s too easy for people to learn about someone’s reproductive health, past abortions and other personal history that may have come up in court cases.
The Women’s Privacy Initiative would use technology to scan court records, automatically redact or seal the information and require all state courts to do likewise.
This announcement comes a week before Martinez faces challenger Mariyana Spyropoulos in the Democratic primary.
While Martinez says the effort has been underway for years, Spyropoulos calls the timing suspicious and says the incumbent hasn’t even acted on the proposal.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a lawyer, helped Martinez develop the initiative.
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