Jonathan Bilyk News
IL lawmakers poised to expand ability of personal injury plaintiffs to demand bigger paydays in wrongful death suits
Legislation backed by Illinois' powerful trial lawyers has moved rapidly to approval in Springfield. The new law would allow plaintiffs to demand punishing punitive damages from most private companies in personal injury lawsuits alleging wrongful death, while exempting governments and other favored entities from the same risk
SCOTUS won't step into IL 'assault weapons' ban fight, for now
Illinois' ban on so-called 'assault weapons' will remain in place, likely through much of the summer, as the Supreme Court turned aside a long-shot bid for an emergency injunction blocking enforcement of the law while a federal appeals court and the Illinois Supreme Court consider constitutional challenges to the gun ban
IL Supreme Court grapples with how to address state constitutional claims in challenge to 'assault weapons' ban
Justices on the Illinois high court questioned what legal standards to use to determine the fate of the lawsuit by downstate gun owners claiming the Illinois 'assault weapons' ban violates their rights to equal protection, by denying most of Illinois a right to own and use 'assault weapons,' while exempting others
Seventh Circuit: IL 'assault weapons' ban to remain in place for at least two months
A federal appeals panel says it won't lift its stay of a Southern Illinois federal judge's injunction preventing Illinois state officials from enforcing the 'assault weapons' ban, at least until a hearing at the end of June, though likely much longer. The U.S. Supreme Court could still block the gun ban
'California Knows Best:' SCOTUS says California can use Prop 12 to regulate pork producers across the country
Dissenting justices warned California should now expect other states to respond in kind, following California's "blueprint" to use state laws and market power to bypass Congress and bend the rest of the country to the will of voters in just one or a handful of states
Guns don't need to be often used in self-defense to qualify as 'arms' protected by 2nd Amend, say challengers to IL 'assault weapons' ban
In briefs filed before the U.S. Supreme Court and 7th Circuit Appeals court in Chicago, groups challenging Illinois' 'assault weapons' ban say the state is flat wrong in asserting 'militaristic' weapons aren't protected by the Second Amendment, simply because handguns or shotguns may be more effective for self-defense
Prominent election lawyer, Madigan ally Kasper wades into Proviso school board election fight
Attorney Michael Kasper, who has for the decades represented Michael Madigan and other prominent Illinois Democrats, is now representing longtime controversial Proviso school board member Theresa Kelly in her effort to use a recount to find enough votes to keep the seat she has held for 23 years
IL A/G, gun owners spar over whether SCOTUS should step into IL 'assault weapons' ban fight
Gun owners' organizations say lower court rulings - and particularly an order from a federal appeals court judge in Chicago - allowing Illinois to continue enforcing its "assault weapons" ban demonstrate that the time is right for SCOTUS to send a message to defiant governors, lawmakers and judges
McHenry Co. State's Atty fights to keep alive his lawsuit challenging IL 'assault weapons' ban
McHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally sued the state because he believes the 'assault weapons' ban has left his office in untenable position of enforcing unconstitutional law. But Attorney Gen. Kwame Raoul admitted in court that Kenneally, other state's attorneys have no obligation to enforce the gun ban
Appeals court reinstates IL 'assault weapons' ban, for now; Invites challenger response
A federal appeals court judge in Chicago has put a hold on a southern Illinois federal judge's injunction blocking enforcement of the new Illinois gun ban. The appeals court judge will allow challengers to argue why prior appellate decisions allowing "assault weapons" bans may no longer apply under U.S. Supreme Court rulings
IL A/G asks appeals court to reinstate 'assault weapons' ban, says S IL judge's ruling leaves IL at risk
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has asked the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the injunction entered by District Judge Stephen McGlynn, which had blocked the state from enforcing its ban on so-called 'assault weapons'
Madigan associates 'ComEd Four' convicted in bribery scheme
Jurors sided with prosecutors, who accused the former ComEd CEO and three top associates of former Illinois House Speaker and Illinois Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan of participating in a scheme to bribe Madigan in exchange for legislation to boost ComEd's revenue
Evanston HS rewrites racially-restricted AP math course descriptions after hit with civil rights complaint
A complaint was filed vs Evanston Township High School District 202 for offering certain advanced math courses that were described as being restricted to Black or Latino students. The descriptions appear to have been changed the next day to say they are "open to all" but are "intended to support" Black or Latino students
S. IL fed judge says IL 'assault weapons' ban likely violates Second Amendment, puts enforcement on hold
The judge said the state has fallen far short of proving the banned weapons are not only 'dangerous,' but also 'unusual,' which he said is the correct standard for evaluating gun bans under recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions
Court filing: Griffith Foods to pay $48M to settle hundreds of lawsuits over Willowbrook EtO emissions
A formal settlement hasn't yet been filed in court, but Alsip-based Griffith Foods has asked a Cook County judge for permission to transfer $48 million into an escrow account in preparation to settle hundreds of lawsuits connected to the Sterigenics litigation
Another judge says IL free to ban 'assault weapons' under 2nd Amendment because the guns are 'particularly dangerous'
U.S. District Judge Lindsay Jenkins says the law holds up, even under recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, because the country has a history of banning 'particularly dangerous' weapons, so the Illinois law doesn't violate the Second Amendment
Urban Prep lawsuit: CPS has no authority under IL law to take over charter schools without closing them
Urban Prep Academies, charter high schools known nationally for helping young Black males from Chicago's South Side succeed academically, says Chicago Public Schools is attempting to sidestep state law in a bid to force them out and take over their schools
Foxx to step aside in 2024, ending tenure marked by controversial social justice-minded changes, escalating crime
Backed by George Soros and progressive Illinois Dems, Foxx's prosecutorial philosophy gained international notoriety over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case. She has also repeatedly clashed with Chicago mayor, cops over handling of criminal cases
Labor board judge: Chicago trampled union bargaining rights by firing workers who refused Covid vax
The city of Chicago may need to rehire the workers it fired for refusing to receive a Covid vaccine, because the city violated state labor laws by denying unions the chance to negotiate over the consequences vaccine-objecting workers could face under the mandate, an administrative law judge for the ILRB has ruled
Judge: No fundamental right for father to forbid Villa Park school district from helping child change genders
A Chicago federal judge said a father can't sue Villa Park District 45 for allegedly conspiring with his ex-wife to help their child transition from male to female, because the father has no fundamental right to direct public schools on how to educate to his child