2020 Articles

120 Years Later: The Juvenile Court in Illinois By Elizabeth Clarke January 2020 Illinois led the world in establishing and protecting the rights of children when its first juvenile court was founded in 1899.

Agency v. DCFS Adoption: An Adoptive Parent’s Perspective By Jessica N. Hudspeth October 2020 Reflections on the adoption process from an adoptive parent.

CASA’s Inaugural Hands Across Illinois Event By Missy Greathouse June 2020 Child abuse and neglect awareness is needed now more than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Case Law Updates By Susan Goldberg March 2020 Summaries of recent cases of interest to child law practitioners.

A Case Note on Arika M. v. Christopher M. By Jared A. Giuffre January 2020 In Arika M. v. Christopher M., the appellate court established whether 750 ILCS 5/606.5(c) or 735 ILCS 5/8-2601 applies to child hearsay statements during an order of protection hearing when an alleged abuser is a parent of the child.

A Case Note on In re Marriage of Elliott By Hon. Randall B. Rosenbaum January 2020 The appellate court addressed two main issues in In re Marriage of Elliott: 1) Whether the husband should have been held in indirect civil contempt; and 2) whether the new or old child support law applied to a modification proceeding.

Chair’s Column By Amanda G. Highlander October 2020 A note from the chair, Amanda G. Highlander.

Considering a Child’s Wishes Under the IMDMA By Richard Ian Conner March 2020 A look at how much weight courts should give a child's expressed wishes and what those wishes mean as they relate to the best interests factor set forth under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act.

Expanding Restorative Justice Community Courts in Cook County By Kaitlin Costello November 2020 After the success of a restorative justice program in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, Cook County Chief Justice Timothy C. Evans opened two new restorative justice community courts in the Englewood and Avondale neighborhoods.

Family Justice Resource Center Helps to Reunite Families Facing Misplaced Abuse Claims By Diane Redleaf, Michelle Weidner, & Colette Safford June 2020 With the help of the Family Justice Resource Center, lawyers now have an invaluable resource to help exonerate clients who have been wrongfully accused of abuse and neglect based on incorrect medical evidence.

Follow-Up Interview With the Honorable Martin Mengarelli By Hon. Martin Mengarelli October 2020 Hon. Martin Mengarelli reflects on his tenure as a juvenile judge and offers his thoughts on the juvenile justice system.

Four Ways America Gets It Wrong in Prosecuting Alleged Teen Offenders By Elizabeth Clarke March 2020 The United States leads developed nations in punitive, cruel, and inhumane practices against children and adolescents who come into conflict with the law.

From the Chair By Marc Bangser June 2020 A note from the outgoing chair, Marc Bangser.

Human Rights & Racial Justice Materials November 2020 Websites, books, and movies of interest to child law practitioners.

Illinois Ranks Low on Provision of Human Rights for Kids By Elizabeth Clarke November 2020 Although Illinois is the home of the world’s first juvenile court, it lags far behind other developed nations.

An Interview with State Legislator and Member of the Child Law Section Council: Terra Costa Howard By Amanda G. Highlander June 2020 A spotlight on Terra Costa Howard, a member of the Child Law Section Council.

An Interview With the Honorable Ericka Sanders, Associate Judge for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois By Jessica N. Hudspeth March 2020 A Q&A-style interview with Hon. Ericka Sanders.

Making Juvenile Justice ‘Just’ By Judge Ramon Ocasio, III November 2020 For members of the bar and the judiciary, current events have provided us with an opportunity to initiate and to contribute to a conversation about juvenile justice.

Modern Families in Family Law By Meg Ledebuhr October 2020 Illinois is far ahead of many other states when it comes to the law surrounding assisted reproductive technology. Yet, even in Illinois, many aspects of the law concerning assisted reproduction remain unclear.

A Note From the Editor By Amanda G. Highlander January 2020 A note from the editor, Amanda G. Highlander.

On Racial Justice & Human Rights for Children in the Juvenile Justice System By Elizabeth Clarke & Bridgett Schott November 2020 An introduction to the issue from Elizabeth Clarke & Bridgett Schott.

An Overview of the Guardian Ad Litem Training Presented by the ISBA Child Law Section Council By Robert Ackerly January 2020 An overview of the Child Law Section's two-day CLE program for aspiring and veteran child representatives and guardians ad litem in October.

Probate Guardianship and Domestic Relations Allocation: A Case Study on Intersecting Aspects of Parental Responsibility for Children By Cristina Rizen October 2020 An analysis of a case involving a nonparent relative caregiver.

Shifting Perspective: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma By Susan M. Brazas Goldberg January 2020 Attorneys and judges who work with children in domestic relations and juvenile court matters will find it helpful to keep abreast of the shift in perception about the behavior of at-risk children and youth.

Spotlight on Child Law Section Counsel Chair Marc Bangser By Bridget Schott January 2020 A spotlight on Marc Bangser, chair of the Child Law Section Council.

Survey of Law: The Right to Counsel for Indigent Parents in Child Welfare Cases By Joanna Wells June 2020 A look at the patchwork of statutes, caselaw, and practices in the years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Lassiter v. Department of Social Services.

The Top 10 Things Court-Appointed Guardians ad Litem Wish Parents Knew Before Their First Meeting By Angel Traub March 2020 Ten things to review and discuss with clients to prepare them to meet with a guardian ad litem.

Transformation in Illinois’ Department of Juvenile Justice By Deanna Hoyt November 2020 Thanks to investment in community alternatives and legislative reforms, the population of youths in juvenile prisons has gone down significantly.

What Can I Do? By George W. Timberlake November 2020 Judges and community stakeholders alike have been energized by the attention paid to the Black Lives Matter movement in our country. In dozens of states people are asking, “What can I do now?”

Whose Interest Is It, Anyway? A Case Note on In re J.C. By Hon. Robert J. Anderson January 2020 A summary of In re J.C., which looks at whether a parent can call a child as a witness in a hearing on a petition to terminate parental rights.