Royal Oak, Mich.-based Howard & Howard is proud to announce that partner Tim Gronewold has been elected to a two-year term as Chair of the Board of the American Red Cross, serving the Central Illinois Region, following his nomination by the Board Development & Engagement Committee. His term will begin in June of 2022.

Few attorneys are as knowledgeable or passionate about tax law as is Evan Schanerberger. After 9 years working in local government starting with the City of Chicago, then moving on to Cook County and to the State of Illinois. Today, Schanerberger is an international tax law specialist with the Internal Revenue Service, where he administers tax treaties on international tax reporting.

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.

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.