The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) should be more than just an afterthought for businesses that transact with state and local governments or are subject to regulations requiring disclosures to such agencies. As William Cook and James Cook point out in their September Illinois Bar Journal article, “Business Information and Illinois FOIA requests,” unbeknownst to many businesses, as soon as a public body receives a FOIA request, sensitive business information (SBI) is potentially subject to disclosure, regardless of whether the requester is actually seeking SBI.
Practice News
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Our panel of leading appellate attorneys reviews the four Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down Thursday, September 23.
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September 24, 2021 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on September 23, 2021. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
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One of the most well-known and effective ways of impeaching witnesses is to confront them with a prior statement that is inconsistent with their trial testimony. However, practitioners must be wary of engaging in incomplete impeachment, which occurs when: 1) a party asks a witness about an alleged prior inconsistent statement; 2) the witness denies making the statement; and 3) the party fails to prove up the impeachment by introducing evidence that the statement was in fact made.
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The Illinois Supreme Court announced today the impending launch of a Court-Based Rental Assistance Program (CBRAP) available to tenants and landlords across the state (outside of Cook County) starting on September 15. Cook County will be operating its own court-based rental assistance program slated to launch in early October with direct funding from the federal government.
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The Illinois Supreme Court and the Civic Federation today announced the results of a report on the elimination of cash bail and the effect it will have on counties throughout Illinois.
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On July 20, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held in United States v. Ruth that Illinois defines cocaine more broadly than the federal government. Because the Illinois definition of cocaine covers more than the corresponding federal definition, prior Illinois cocaine convictions can no longer be used to enhance a federal drug defendant’s mandatory minimum sentence. In his September Illinois Bar Journal article, “Cocaine Isn’t What It Used to Be,” Thomas Drysdale explores how sentencing enhancements are built into federal drug laws, how and when those enhancements can be applied, why Illinois cocaine convictions are no longer predicate offenses after United States v. Ruth, and what the potential consequences of Ruth will be going forward.
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The names of 22 new associate judges, selected in a vote of Cook County Circuit Court judges, were announced today by Marcia M. Meis, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
Ballots listing the names of 44 finalists, chosen from 225 candidates, were distributed to 249 circuit judges. Ballots were due September 7, 2021.
1 comment (Most recent September 10, 2021) -
The Illinois Supreme Court will ride the circuit, virtually, this month in conjunction with schools in the 2nd Judicial District. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases starting at 10:15 a.m., on Thursday, September 23, 2021. Students and teachers have been invited to watch the proceedings online at https://livestream.com/blueroomstream/events/9824391.
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September 9, 2021 |
Practice News
The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois is currently accepting applications from attorneys who have a strong civil litigation background for the position of Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in our Civil Division in the Fairview Heights Office.