Illinois

Illinois disciplinary agency seeks comment on letting lawyers use for-profit referral services

Update: An Illinois Supreme Court administrative agency is taking comments on the concept that lawyers be allowed to participate in for-profit referral services.

The Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission survey cites a state appeals-court finding that fee sharing with a local bar association was a "positive force" in improving access to justice.

Jun 5, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Is it too late to pass the Equal Rights Amendment? Illinois is the 37th state to ratify it

Illinois lawmakers approved the Equal Rights Amendment on Wednesday, despite a 1982 deadline for ratification. Illinois was the 37th state to approve the amendment, one short of the number needed if there were no deadline, report the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone…

May 31, 2018 2:36 PM CDT

Group to send lawyers to help incarcerated teens

Young men in custody at a youth correctional facility in southern Illinois may soon have private attorneys to represent them in court after officials said they were concerned about their legal representation. The James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, which provides low-income Evanston youths with legal and social services,…

May 17, 2018 11:42 AM CDT

Art behind bars: Creative programs for inmates help change the narrative

Creative expression programs in detention centers include a memoir-writing class for Cook County Jail detainees awaiting trial for violent offenses.

May 1, 2018 2:05 AM CDT

Would-be judge facing trial for ruling in traffic cases is found dead

A would-be judge who was facing a trial Monday for ruling in three traffic cases has been found dead in her home in suburban Chicago. Rhonda Crawford, 46, was free on bond. She was pronounced dead on Thursday, report the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. Crawford was facing a…

Apr 27, 2018 1:12 PM CDT

Facebook must face class action over facial recognition, judge rules

Illinois Facebook users may sue the social media giant for collecting their facial recognition information, a federal judge ruled this week.

Apr 18, 2018 3:00 PM CDT

Judge tosses suit claiming McDonald’s extra value meals are a bad deal

McDonald’s didn’t violate Illinois consumer law by marketing “extra value meals” that cost more than when the items are purchased a la carte, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo tossed the would-be class action last Friday. Eater links to the decision, while the Associated Press has…

Apr 12, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Aviation security officer who dragged doctor from plane in viral video files lawsuit

An aviation security officer who dragged a doctor from a United Airlines plane in an incident caught video that went viral has filed a lawsuit that claims he received inadequate training in how to handle such a situation. The fired officer, James Long, claims the city of Chicago did not…

Apr 11, 2018 10:32 AM CDT

Illinois’ most populous county files new suit over Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data

The county that includes Chicago may be the first government entity to sue over Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data for use in federal election campaigns. Cook County, Illinois, claims in a lawsuit filed on Friday that the use of information from more than 50 million Facebook users, including millions…

Mar 26, 2018 2:17 PM CDT

Chicago solo files $1.1M defamation suit against ex-client for alleged ‘legal predator’ Yelp review

A Chicago lawyer has filed a $1.1 million defamation lawsuit against a former client who allegedly called her a “legal predator” and a “con artist” in a Yelp review that was posted under his corporate name.

Mar 14, 2018 8:00 AM CDT

Federal judge orders courtroom doors locked before he announces ruling on stash-house stings

Chicago’s chief federal judge ensured that spectators didn’t leave his courtroom while he announced Monday that he was “reluctantly” denying a motion to toss the charges against eight people charged in stash-house robbery stings.

Mar 12, 2018 4:00 PM CDT

2 Illinois law firms using the name O’Keefe settle their legal battle

Chicago law firm O’Keefe Lyons & Hynes has settled a trademark infringement suit against the O’Keefe Law Firm in suburban LaGrange, Illinois. O’Keefe Lyons had filed the federal lawsuit in Chicago last July claiming the other firm’s use of the name was causing confusion. Both firms handle property tax appeals.…

Mar 12, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Court Watch NYC volunteers sit in courtrooms to monitor how prosecutors use their discretion

After years of focusing efforts on private prisons, mandatory sentences and money bail, people trying to change the criminal justice system have identified another target: prosecutors. In an influential book last year, Fordham University professor John Pfaff argued prosecutors were the main driver behind the soaring U.S. incarceration rate—almost always unwatched and unopposed. Left-leaning philanthropist George Soros and the ACLU, among others, are recruiting and funding district attorney candidates who promise to curtail the use of the death penalty, expand diversion programs and stop prosecuting low-level crimes. There is even a new stab at a Progressive Prosecutor’s Handbook.

Feb 28, 2018 7:30 AM CST

Title VII protects workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation, en banc 2nd Circuit says

An en banc federal appeals court has ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Feb 26, 2018 10:56 AM CST

Trump nominates 9 to federal court vacancies

Updated: Nine more nominees for federal judgeships were announced Tuesday by the White House. The newest wave of nominees are: • Mark Bennett, former attorney general of Hawaii, to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. • Andrew Oldham, general counsel for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to the…

Feb 13, 2018 4:00 PM CST