Jonathan Bilyk News
Townstone settles 'nightmare' court fight with feds over radio show comments
Chicago area mortgage lender Townstone Financial agreed to pay a $105K penalty and submit to specific regulatory oversight as part of the deal to end the four-year-long court fight over the ability of federal agents to use anti-discrimination provisions of a federal lending law to regulate lenders' speech
Target can't clear out customer class action over alleged customer facial recognition cameras
Target has flatly denied it uses facial recognition cameras to monitor customers in its stores. But a judge said he believes plaintiffs need more opportunity to investigate those claims, so he is allowing a lawsuit to continue vs Target under the Illinois biometrics privacy law.
Lawsuit: IL law requiring insurers to pay for abortions tramples religious freedom rights
A group of pro-life groups and employers, including a private school and a manufacturer, filed suit against Gov. Pritzker and the state, saying the Reproductive Health Act violates their First Amendment rights and federal law by forcing them to pay for others' abortions against their religious beliefs
Justice for Jussie? IL Supreme Court overturns Smollett conviction for lying to cops
The Illinois Supreme Court said Smollett's conviction for lying to police about his hoax attack claims was an unconstitutional violation of his rights to due process because he should have been able to rely on the charge-dropping deal from Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx
Controversial Cook County judge loses retention bid, unofficial vote totals show
According to unofficial vote totals, Cook County Judge Shannon O'Malley - formerly known as Phillip Spiwak - appears to have fallen short of retaining his seat on the county court. O'Malley famously changed his name to sound Irish in an apparent bid to win election, and has been accused of living outside the county
Judges: Reforms to limit harm from IL biometrics law should apply to pending lawsuits, too
Recent rulings from a Chicago federal judge and a Cook County judge are seen as key wins for Illinois businesses, as they begin the work of answering a key question that could decide the fates of potentially hundreds of lawsuits with many millions of dollars at stake
Glock: IL law underpinning Chicago's gun violence lawsuit violates Second Amendment, is unconstitutional
Firearms maker Glock says Chicago and Illinois are attempting to use a lawsuit under an allegedly unconstitutional Illinois consumer fraud law to win a court order all but banning the sale of Glock handguns, which Glock said violates the Second Amendment and the Commerce Clause
Constitution doesn't block Indiana's ban on gender transition procedures for kids: Appeals court
A divided federal appeals panel said the Indiana ban on surgeries, puberty blockers and other care do not violate parent's rights to direct their children's medical care nor the speech rights of doctors, dissolving a lower court's injunction blocking enforcement of the law
SAFE-T Act pretrial jailing appeals drop 88% after court rule changes; 'Found a sweet spot,' says task force chair
The number of appeals filed by criminal defendants seeking release from jail while they await trial dropped from 1,041 in January to mid-April to 154 in the three months following rule changes to ease the burden. The appeals numbers are still up significantly compared to years preceding Illinois' criminal justice system reforms
Cook County Dems cruise in five contested races for circuit court judge seats
While votes continue to be counted, Democratic candidates for judge in Cook County scored easy wins over Republican challengers in the handful of contested judicial races presented to voters this fall, including in the first contested general election race for countywide judge in 14 years
77 of 78 Cook County judges poised to retain seats on bench; O'Malley falling short
Of three Cook County judges touched by scandal in recent weeks, voters appeared poised to grant two - Kathy Flanagan and E. Kenneth Wright - new six-year terms on the bench. Judge Shannon O'Malley, however, appeared to be falling short of the required 60% "Yes" vote threshold, according to incomplete results
'Unconstitutional affront:' Federal judge strikes down Illinois 'assault weapons' ban
Saying the law falls far short under the Constitution, U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn entered an injunction which would block the state from enforcing Gov. Pritzker's ban on so-called 'assault weapons.' The ruling is stayed for 30 days, pending an expected appeal from the state
Two scandal-marked Cook County judges to be investigated by state
Cook County's chief judges recommended Judges E. Kenneth Wright and Shannon O'Malley be investigated by the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board. The JIB can recommend further action. The judges have been accused in a press report of living outside of Cook County, which could violate the state constitution
'Being safe is not a privilege:' O'Neill Burke wins State's Attorney's race, vows to 'set new standard'
Eileen O'Neill Burke won the race for Cook County State's Attorney. During her campaign, the former judge pledged to undo many of the policies put in place by outgoing State's Attorney Kim Foxx, who has been heavily criticized for being soft on crime and helping to fuel Chicago's and Cook County's crime problems
Judge mostly tosses effort to force IL elections authorities to make voter rolls more accurate
A Chicago federal judge said conservative groups don't have standing to sue Illinois state and county election officials for allegedly failing to live up to their obligations under federal election law to remove people who aren't eligible to vote from Illinois voter rolls
'Palpable injustice:' Appeals panel says Cook Co. judge wrongly allowed 'one-sided' trial vs restaurant owner
An IL state appeals panel says Cook County Judge Robert Harris wrongly moved ahead with a "one-sided" trial in which a Rogers Park restaurant owner was ordered to pay $500K to Loyola University amid a court fight over Loyola's alleged refusal to let him reopen a fine dining restaurant in 2021
Ethics complaint filed vs Pritzker over unconstitutional 'election interference' 'anti-slating' law
An Arlington Heights lawyer, who is running as a Republican for the state House, has filed an ethics complaint against Gov. JB Pritzker, accusing him of violating his professional responsibilities as a lawyer holding public office by supporting a state law Democrats sought to use to block challengers to their candidates
Federal judge asked to block IL law that restricts what employers can say to their workers
In a new filing, the Illinois Policy Institute and Technology and Manufacturing Association say the state has unconstitutionally set up a regime to allow labor unions and other political allies to speak, while silencing employers' speech on politics, public policy and religion in the workplace
IL state teacher scholarship program unconstitutionally excludes white applicants, lawsuit says
The American Alliance for Equal Rights filed the lawsuit in Springfield federal court, accusing the state of unconstitutionally discriminating against applicants who aren't racial minorities from participating in a state-funded scholarship program intended to increase the number of minority teachers in Illinois
'Abject failure:' Suburban prosecutor says SAFE-T Act fueling crime, letting people skip court
Outgoing McHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally says Illinois Dems' signature criminal justice reform measures have resulted in increases in defendants committing crime while awaiting trial, or skipping court altogether. Supporters of the law called the critique "misleading" and "racist"