Illinois

Coast Guard Lawyer, Women’s Bar Pioneer Dies at Age 98

A Chicago woman who wanted to join the military effort during World War II, but couldn’t because of her gender and became a lawyer for the Coast Guard instead, has died at the age of 98. Etha “Bea” Fox was denied military service because women were barred from combat at…

Sep 26, 2012 11:15 AM CDT

Man Charged with Murder Attempt on Prosecutor Who Intervened to Protect 2 Men Holding Hands

A 21-year-old Chicago man is being held in lieu of $750,000 bail in an attempted first-degree murder case concerning a victim of a public physical attack who happened to be a Cook County prosecutor. The unidentified prosecutor, who was en route to meet a friend to fish on the lakefront,…

Sep 25, 2012 5:20 PM CDT

Former Jenkens & Gilchrist Partner Takes Plea in Tax Shelter Opinions Case; Will Forfeit $1.6M

A former partner of Jenkens & Gilchrist pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion Thursday in federal court in Manhattan concerning a decade-long tax-shelter scheme that the trial judge says is the biggest American tax-fraud case ever. Donna Guerin, 52, agreed to forfeit $1.6 million and could face a maximum…

Sep 13, 2012 9:57 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Suit Accusing DePaul Law School of Using Misleading Job Statistics

Corrected: Another judge has tossed another lawsuit accusing a law school of misleading prospective students through incomplete job statistics. On Wednesday, Judge Neil Cohen of Cook County dismissed the suit filed by nine graduates of DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports. The…

Sep 13, 2012 11:32 AM CDT

Retrial Begins for Inmate Who Argued His Sentence Was 25 Years Too Short

An Illinois man who argued his murder sentence was too short in a gambit to withdraw his guilty plea is being retried this week. Brian Pinkas received a 20-year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend when he pleaded guilty in 2005, report the Belleville News-Democrat and the St. Louis…

Sep 11, 2012 6:14 PM CDT

Court Closings Announced; Illinois US District Courts Weigh Weekly Shutdowns

Updated: In a drastic measure to deal with severe funding deficits, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois may shut down every Wednesday beginning in January 2013. The proposal by Chief Judge James F. Holderman comes as lawmakers struggle to reach an agreement for reduced federal spending,…

Sep 11, 2012 5:18 PM CDT

Former Office Manager Gets 10 Years for Embezzling More Than $500K from Suburban Chicago Law Firm

A woman who stole more than $500,000 over a four-year period while working for a suburban Chicago law firm has been sentenced to a 10-year prison term by a DuPage County judge. Mary Marra, 44, has repaid more than $150,000 of what she embezzled from the law firm, the Downers…

Sep 10, 2012 8:26 PM CDT

Cameras Go Untested in Columbus Federal Court Because of Lack of Litigant Interest; Do Viewers Care?

A pilot program to evaluate cameras in the federal courts is suffering from a lack of interest in Columbus, Ohio. Federal courts in Columbus and 13 other districts are participating in the program in which civil proceedings are recorded if both sides agree. The recordings are then posted on a…

Sep 4, 2012 3:09 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Gave Up Practice to Teach Computer Skills Is Fatally Stabbed

Chicago police are investigating the stabbing deaths of a former lawyer and his roommate, who were found dead in their north side apartment on Tuesday. Firefighters responded to a report of a small fire in the apartment, resulting in the discovery of the bodies, the Chicago Tribune reports. The victims…

Aug 30, 2012 1:03 PM CDT

Divorce Lawyer Testimony in Drew Peterson Trial: 4th Wife Mulled Accusing Him of Murdering 3rd Wife

A matrimonial lawyer testifying in a high-profile murder trial of a suburban Chicago police officer told jurors Wednesday about a conversation he had with defendant Drew Peterson’s fourth wife. Attorney Harry Smith said she asked him whether she could get more money out of her husband in a divorce if…

Aug 29, 2012 9:32 PM CDT

State’s Attorney in Illinois Won’t Prosecute People Who Carry Weapons with ‘No Evil Intent’

Corrected: A state’s attorney in central Illinois has issued a press release criticizing the state’s gun laws and declaring he won’t prosecute people for some violations when they have “no evil intent.” The decision by McLean County State’s Attorney Ronald Dozier appears to mean he won’t prosecute people for carrying…

Aug 22, 2012 12:20 PM CDT

2 Federal Judges Work with Ex-Cons in Chicago Re-Entry Program

Two federal judges still wear their robes when they participate in a twice-a-month group program at their Chicago courthouse that is intended to help former inmates with substance-abuse issues stay out of trouble after they are released from prison. That is because U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo and U.S. Magistrate…

Aug 16, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Attorney Faces Disbarment for Smuggling Cuban Cigars in 1990s

Bar authorities in Illinois are seeking the disbarment of a lawyer convicted of smuggling Cuban cigars into the country back in the 1990s. The recommendation filed by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission last week seeks to disbar Richard Steven Connors, who was convicted in 2002 of violating the…

Aug 15, 2012 1:12 PM CDT

Judge to Decide if Poem ‘Decrypted’ by FBI Can Be Used at Trial

Prosecutors in Illinois are seeking to have a “decrypted” jailhouse poem introduced into evidence against a man accused of murdering his family. Prosecutors contend the poem, written in runic symbols, shows defendant Christopher Vaughn was planning to start a new life in the Canadian wilderness with a stripper, the Chicago…

Aug 14, 2012 6:17 PM CDT

Federal Judge in Florida OKs Red-Light Ticket Info Release, Says Legal Proceeding Record Is Public

A federal judge in Florida says a contractor hired by the city of Tallahassee must disclose red-light-camera traffic ticket information to a newspaper that requested it, despite an arguable conflict between state public records law and a federal statute that protects the privacy of drivers. Fearing potential penalties for violating…

Aug 14, 2012 5:00 PM CDT