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lincoln-9-17-21,ph01
Robin DeGroot, a conservator for Third Coast Conservation in Elmhurst, explains the nuanced restoration work he did on cubby holes in the desk that Abraham Lincoln used to draft a presidential inaugural address in Springfield. He delivered the speech March 4, 1861, on the eve of the Civil War. – AP Photo/John O'Connor

Desk where Lincoln wrote of ‘better angels of our nature’ is restored

SPRINGFIELD — The storage-room merchants’ desk where President-elect Abraham Lincoln penned his first inaugural address, beseeching southern states to recall the “mystic chords of memory” and invoke “the better angels of our nature” to circumvent the Civil War, was unveiled by Illinois officials Thursday after a painstaking restoration to its 1850s splendor.
By John O'Connor
hastert-9-15-21,ph01

Hastert settles hush money suit

YORKVILLE — Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and a man who accused him of child sexual abuse reached a tentative out-of-court settlement Wednesday over Hastert’s refusal to pay the man $1.8 million — the outstanding balance in hush money that the Illinois Republican agreed to pay the man in 2010.
By Michael Tarm
college-9-14-21,ph01

First ‘Varsity Blues’ trial kicks off

BOSTON — The first trial in the college admissions bribery scandal opened with defense attorneys seeking to portray the two parents accused of buying their kids’ way into school as victims of a con man who believed their payments were legitimate donations.
By Alanna Durkin Richer

Lawyers push for removal of Missouri courthouse murals

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Two lawyers are demanding the removal of two courthouse murals in Columbia that show a white man pointing a gun at a Native American man, shirtless Black men chained by their ankles, and white men being hanged and whipped.
By The Associated Press

Report: Court clerks could lose $15M when cash bail ends

A new report predicts that county circuit court clerks in Illinois will lose as much as $15 million total in fines and fees each year when the state eliminates cash bail in January 2023.
By Grace Barbic

Judge orders $1.9M in embezzled funds returned  to benefit Ponzi scheme victims

A federal judge has ordered a man with Chicago ties to return more than $1.9 million used to buy high-end wine and spirits in a claim connected to the massive Petters Ponzi scheme.
By Emma Oxnevad

Illinois Supreme Court announces $60M rental assistance program 

The Illinois Supreme Court announced a $60 million Court-Based Rental Assistance Program will be available starting Wednesday to help stem evictions as moratoriums run out.
By Grace Barbic

Green Beret who became Schiff Hardin partner leads Afghan legal-aid effort

As a Green Beret in the U.S. Army, Mir Y. Ali spent two combat deployments in Afghanistan, serving with the Afghan National Army and Afghan Security Forces. Now a partner at Schiff Hardin LLP’s Chicago office, he is striving to provide free legal aid to refugees fleeing the Taliban.
By Emma Oxnevad
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
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Photo gallery with Top Stories

Robin DeGroot, a conservator for Third Coast Conservation in Elmhurst, explains the nuanced restoration work he did on cubby holes in the desk that Abraham Lincoln used to draft a presidential inaugural address in Springfield. He delivered the speech March 4, 1861, on the eve of the Civil War.
Sep
17
Fri

Desk where Lincoln wrote of ‘better angels of our nature’ is restored
Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert leaves the federal courthouse in Chicago after his sentencing on federal banking charges in this 2016 file photo. Lawyers say Hastert and a man who accused him of child sexual abuse reached a tentative out-of-court settlement Wednesday.
Sep
15
Wed

Hastert settles hush money suit
John Wilson, second from left, holds his wife's hand as he leaves the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston after the first day of his trial in the college admissions scandal Monday.
Sep
14
Tue

First ‘Varsity Blues’ trial kicks off
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett speaks to an audience Sunday at the 30th anniversary of the University of Louisville McConnell Center in Louisville, Ky. Barrett said she is concerned that the Court will be seen as a hyper political institution and that justices must be “hyper vigilant to make sure they’re not letting personal biases creep into their decisions, since judges are people, too.”
Sep
13
Mon

Barrett concerned about public perception of Supreme Court
An April 28 file photo of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington. Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, Americans were reasonably positive about the state of their rights and liberties. Today, after 20 years, not as much, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that builds on work conducted in 2011, one decade after the pivotal moment in U.S. history.
Sep
10
Fri

20 years after 9/11, Americans poll less positive about state of civil liberties