Practice News

Changes to K-12 education during the COVID-19 pandemic have produced new concerns about free speech for students and teachers, notes Christine L. Self in her March Illinois Bar Journal article, “Free Speech and Public Education.” In Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., the U.S. Supreme Court extended First Amendment protections regarding off-campus social media activity but arguably left open the door to school district regulation of student and, perhaps, teacher speech related to computer-based learning.

It was 1972 and Jeffrey Hicken was a newly minted lawyer who landed a state government job reviewing cases of convicted and incarcerated felons and, where possible, write up their appeals. At $150 a week, it wasn’t much money, but he was thrilled. As to his win-loss ratio? That’s easy—he almost never won. One day a hefty parcel labeled People v. J.T. Darling appeared on his desk. It contained a trial transcript, documents, and reports about the burglary conviction of Mr. Darling, or “JT”, who had just begun a six to 12-year sentence at the Menard Correctional Center. JT was from Goofy Ridge, Illinois, where the crime took place. JT’s case would lead Hicken to learn one of his most formative lessons as an attorney.

The Illinois Courts Commission (Commission) is seeking applicants for the position of Executive Director and General Counsel. The selected candidate will serve as the head of the agency and will supervise its day-to-day operations.

The Commission is the state’s judicial disciplinary body under Article VI, Section 15 of the Illinois Constitution. Containing members drawn from the Supreme Court, the Appellate Court, and the Circuit Court, as well as public members who are not judges, the Commission decides complaints brought by the Judicial Inquiry Board against judges alleged to have committed misconduct or to be physically or mentally unable to perform their duties.

The Illinois Supreme Court today removed a requirement that individuals in attendance at Illinois courts wear masks, effective February 28, 2022. Each circuit court may adopt rules requiring masks based off of local health conditions.