News

  • Judge: Attorney tried to ‘harass’ pro-Palestinian protesters with suit
    A man’s lawsuit against pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago who blocked traffic was designed to harass the defendants rather than to seek redress for himself and other drivers trapped in their cars, a federal judge held.
    By Patricia Manson
  • Noncompliance with affidavits rule derails medmal suit
    A man’s noncompliance with affidavit requirements ended his medical malpractice suit against his physical therapist for injuries he sustained from a malfunctioning lumbar mechanical traction table.
    By Grace Barbic
  • Judge sides with environmentalists in fishing dispute
    Commercial fishing that recently resumed in a vast protected area of the Pacific Ocean must halt once again, after a judge in Hawaii sided last week with environmentalists challenging a Trump administration rollback of federal ocean protections.
    By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Audrey McAvoy
  • ARDC board recommends suspension for former ASA
    A former Cook County assistant state’s attorney who attempted to settle a case without authorization should be suspended for one year, according to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission hearing board.
    By Emma Oxnevad
Former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan departs the Dirksen Federal Courthouse after receiving a 7½-year prison sentence on corruption charges on June 13. Andrew Adams/Capitol News Illinois

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COURTS & CASES

Case Summaries

CONTRIBUTORS

  • Racial Justice
    Mass deportations reminiscent of early 20th Century events
    An immigrant rights activist told me that the current administration aims to surpass the deportation goals of 1954 — when more than one million people were deported, and “Mexican-looking” individuals were often stopped and asked for identification.
  • Racial Justice
    An independent judiciary is up to the people — if they want it
    Five years ago, the Illinois Supreme Court issued its statement on racial justice, beginning with these words: “The events of recent days and weeks have exposed frailties in our public institutions, and brought to the forefront the disproportionate impact the application of certain laws, rules, policies and practices have had on the African-American population, the Latinx community, and other people of color in Illinois and nationally.”
  • Law and Public Issues
    Question remains from Scopes ‘monkey trial’ a century later
    July 2025 marks the centennial of the trial of John T. Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee, for teaching evolution in a high school biology class. Tennessee had just passed the Butler Act, which criminalized the teaching of “any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible.”
  • Cotter’s Corner
    Bar leaders’ group marks 75 years of nurturing professional growth
    Seventy-five years ago, the president of the American Bar Association assembled more than two dozen state bar associations and started what became the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP). Last week, north of the border in Toronto, the NCBP celebrated its first 75 years and looked ahead to the next 75 years.
  • For the Defense
    Trio of cases stands as warning about lawyers behaving badly
    Three recent cases where lawyers were sanctioned for misconduct should serve as a warning to all attorneys — this one included — about the potential consequences of not adhering to our obligations.
  • Professionalism on Point
    Danger of vicarious trauma comes with difficult cases attorneys face
    As attorneys, we often don’t recognize how our clients’ trauma and the trauma we witness throughout a case impacts our well-being.
  • Insurance Matters
    Occupancy requirement upheld for business auto UIM coverage
    The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, applying Illinois law, recently held that an occupancy requirement for applicability of uninsured or underinsured coverage in a commercial automobile policy, as distinguished from a personal automobile policy, did not violate Illinois public policy.
  • Opening Statement
    ‘Billie Jean’ salutes tennis icon at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
    One of the most famous television advertising campaigns in U.S. history, “You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby” was rolled out by Phillip Morris in 1968 to promote its Virginia Slims cigarettes.
  • Racial Justice
    Mass deportations reminiscent of early 20th Century events
    An immigrant rights activist told me that the current administration aims to surpass the deportation goals of 1954 — when more than one million people were deported, and “Mexican-looking” individuals were often stopped and asked for identification.
  • Racial Justice
    An independent judiciary is up to the people — if they want it
    Five years ago, the Illinois Supreme Court issued its statement on racial justice, beginning with these words: “The events of recent days and weeks have exposed frailties in our public institutions, and brought to the forefront the disproportionate impact the application of certain laws, rules, policies and practices have had on the African-American population, the Latinx community, and other people of color in Illinois and nationally.”
  • Law and Public Issues
    Question remains from Scopes ‘monkey trial’ a century later
    July 2025 marks the centennial of the trial of John T. Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee, for teaching evolution in a high school biology class. Tennessee had just passed the Butler Act, which criminalized the teaching of “any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible.”
  • Cotter’s Corner
    Bar leaders’ group marks 75 years of nurturing professional growth
    Seventy-five years ago, the president of the American Bar Association assembled more than two dozen state bar associations and started what became the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP). Last week, north of the border in Toronto, the NCBP celebrated its first 75 years and looked ahead to the next 75 years.
  • For the Defense
    Trio of cases stands as warning about lawyers behaving badly
    Three recent cases where lawyers were sanctioned for misconduct should serve as a warning to all attorneys — this one included — about the potential consequences of not adhering to our obligations.
  • Professionalism on Point
    Danger of vicarious trauma comes with difficult cases attorneys face
    As attorneys, we often don’t recognize how our clients’ trauma and the trauma we witness throughout a case impacts our well-being.

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