Illinois

Magistrate judge denies boilerplate warrant request for forced fingerprint unlocking of iPhones

Federal agents who want to search a premises for electronic devices haven’t justified a request to force people there to provide fingerprints or thumbprints to unlock iPhones and iPads, a federal magistrate judge in Chicago has ruled. U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman ruled (PDF) on Feb. 16 when considering…

Feb 24, 2017 8:00 AM CST

LeClairRyan opens office in Chicago

LeClairRyan has arrived in the Windy City. The firm announced the move in a Tuesday press release. LeClairRyan partner Philip Fluhr will be in charge of the new Chicago office, which according to the firm’s website, currently consists of two other lawyers. The move will be a homecoming of sorts…

Feb 23, 2017 3:47 PM CST

Amtrak officer is charged with murder in shooting near Chicago’s Union Station

An Amtrak police officer has been charged with murder in the Feb. 8 shooting of an unarmed bus passenger near Union Station in Chicago. Bond was set at $250,000 on Friday for the officer, LaRoyce Tankson, report DNA Info and the Chicago Sun-Times. Tankson’s lawyer, William Fahy, said Tankson fired…

Feb 17, 2017 1:00 PM CST

Original ‘patent troll’ law firm has closed its doors

On the heels of the sudden death last August of Raymond Niro Sr., the passionate litigator for whom the term “patent troll” was coined, the Chicago-based Niro Law firm broke apart earlier this month, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. Four partners from the then-13-lawyer firm are starting a new firm called…

Jan 27, 2017 3:20 PM CST

As Illinois budget impasse continues, state AG’s court motion seeks to stop paying state employees

After almost two years without a budget, the Illinois attorney general has filed a motion to stop paying state employees until the matter is settled. The motion from Lisa Madigan’s office, filed Thursday in St. Clair County Circuit Court, argues that paying workers without appropriations approved by Gov. Bruce Rauner…

Jan 27, 2017 2:47 PM CST

Chicago motorists discover there is no time limit on the collection of parking tickets

In Illinois, there is no statute of limitations for murder, arson or parking tickets. Many Chicago drivers are learning that lesson the hard way, the Chicago Tribune reports. The city has increased collection of debts five years or older, and drivers with unpaid tickets are getting notices for infractions that…

Jan 24, 2017 12:26 PM CST

Lawyer who died in parking garage fire worked at BigLaw firm

A lawyer found dead last week in a fire in a Chicago parking garage was of counsel at Foley & Lardner. Police are investigating the death of the lawyer, 60-year-old Louis Cohen, report the Chicago Tribune, NBC Chicago and the Am Law Daily (sub. req.). Autopsy results were still pending…

Jan 24, 2017 9:21 AM CST

Former House Speaker Hastert seeks repayment of hush money

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert contends he has no obligation to pay another $1.8 million in hush money to a man who accused Hastert of sexually abusing him as a teenager. Indeed, Hastert maintains in a counterclaim to the accuser’s breach-of-contract suit, Hastert is entitled to return of $1.7…

Jan 19, 2017 4:13 PM CST

Chicago police use excessive force, without being held accountable, Justice Department finds

Chicago police use excessive force, by pattern or practice, and minorities are most affected, according to a Justice Department report released on Friday. The use of excessive force, including deadly force, violates the Fourth Amendment, the report (PDF) concluded. A press release is here; media coverage includes stories by the…

Jan 13, 2017 10:57 AM CST

Chicago lawyer sues police over interception of his cellphone information during protest

A Chicago lawyer has filed a lawsuit alleging police violated his Fourth and First Amendment rights by using a cell site simulator to search his cellphone during a Black Lives Matter protest. Lawyer Jerry Boyle says the police device, sometimes known by the brand name StingRay, searched his phone at…

Jan 13, 2017 9:46 AM CST

Prosecutor defends 22-year sentence for theft of remote control

A suburban Chicago prosecutor is defending a 22-year sentence for a man convicted of stealing a universal television remote from the common area of an apartment complex in Wheaton, Illinois. Eric Bramwell was convicted in November after he represented himself at trial, against the advice of the judge, according to…

Jan 11, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Police seek man in surveillance photos in connection with lawyer’s strangulation death

Police in the suburban Chicago town of Northbrook have released surveillance photos of a person of interest in the December strangulation death of a 36-year-old lawyer. The photos show a man using a cane, dressed in a trench coat and hat, the Northbrook Star reports. Police say he is a…

Jan 5, 2017 12:35 PM CST

ABA Techshow in Chicago gets revamped

“I was completely overwhelmed and totally lost when I went to my first Techshow 15 years ago,” says Adriana Linares. “So when I got on the planning board, one of my goals was to see what I could do to make this conference better for all attendees.”

Jan 1, 2017 12:50 AM CST

Unsealed suit targets law firm for alleged lax cybersecurity

A class-action complaint unsealed on Friday claims a Chicago law firm put client information at risk because of lax cybersecurity. The suit claims Johnson & Bell had security holes in its email, time-entry software and virtual private network, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) reports. The suit does not allege…

Dec 12, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Judge who let law clerk rule on cases has Alzheimer’s diagnosis, is unable to do job, complaint says

A judge in suburban Chicago who allowed a law clerk to wear her robe and rule on traffic cases is mentally unable to handle her judicial duties, according to a complaint filed with the Illinois Courts Commission. The complaint by the Judicial Inquiry Board said Judge Valarie Turner was recently…

Dec 2, 2016 1:56 PM CST