Jonathan Bilyk News
Lawsuit accuses Cook divorce judge of unconstitutionally blocking adult son from family's online court hearing
The adult son of a River Forest real estate developer is suing Cook County Judge Abbey Romanek for allegedly violating his rights by refusing to allow him to observe online divorce court hearing involving his parents. The proceedings have resulted in his father being ordered to jail three times in eight years over money disputes
Third District Appellate race shines light on Democrat Will County judge's past run-ins with law
Will Co. Judge John Anderson is running against DuPage Co. Judge Kenton Skarin for a seat on Illinois' Third District Appellate Court. Skarin has launched a website listing Anderson's 33 traffic citations, arrests and convictions dating back to the late 1980s, mostly for excessive speeding. Anderson admits to a 'challenging' past, but says it is part of a redemption story.
Cook Courts clerk casts doubts on official numbers touting success of IL criminal justice reforms
Cook County Circuit Clerk Iris Martinez is calling for an independent analysis of court data being used to trumpet the success of Dems' criminal justice reform measures, saying an analysis by her office shows far more people are skipping court dates than are being acknowledged by official numbers
Chicago cop says Foxx wrongly prosecuted him for shooting at man who threatened cops with gun
A Chicago Police officer has become the latest cop to sue the Cook County State's Attorney. This officer accuses Foxx for wrongly charging him for injuries suffered by suspect who was next to another who shot at officers
IL Supreme Court questions if Smollett special prosecution wrongly undermined Foxx, set bad precedent
The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments concerning actor Jussie Smollett's bid to reverse his conviction for staging an infamous fake racially-motivated attack in 2019, that spurred a politically-motivated outcry of sympathy and demands for justice from Kamala Harris and other left-wing politicians and celebrities
Lawsuit: Anti-cop bias, politics at COPA producing 'tainted' investigations into Chicago police conduct
A deputy administrator at Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability says he was fired after shining light on alleged bias and political motives at the office under its current top administrator
IL Baptists plan to appeal ruling that IL abortion coverage mandate doesn't violate religious rights
A Springfield judge agreed with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul that the state's abortion health insurance coverage mandate doesn't violate religious objectors' rights because they can still buy health insurance from other states
Jury awards $50M to man who said was wrongly imprisoned as accomplice to murder
Marcel Brown had been sentenced to 35 years as an accomplice in a 2008 murder, after he drove an accused gunman to a city park to take part in a feud among rival groups. Cook County prosecutors dropped charges 10 years later, saying Brown was denied a lawyer during questioning that led to a confession
Highland Park families' lawsuits say IL State Police could have stopped 2022 parade massacre
Complaints filed in the Illinois Court of Claims assert the Illinois State Police knew man accused in the July 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July Parade massacre was 'clear and present danger' and should have stopped him from buying the gun allegedly used.
Did IL just try again to ban E-Verify? New law could leave employers facing hard choices, big challenges
The new law could leave Illinois employers facing a choice between abiding by competing state and federal immigrant employment laws and requirements, and leave Illinois facing another day in court defending a law which could stand in defiance to federal laws governing immigrant work eligibility
Lawyers slated to get as much as $40M from $100M CDK car dealer class action settlement
Software maker CDK has reached a deal to pay $100 million to settle thousands of car dealerships' antitrust claims accusing CDK of inflating the cost of their Dealer Management Systems. Dealers have until Jan. 2025 to submit a claim for a share of about $60 million that could be left after lawyers are paid
IL appeals court greenlights biometrics class actions vs eyewear sellers over 'virtual try-on' tool
An Illinois state appeals court has said federal judges were wrong to block potential big money class actions against online eyeglass sellers under Illinois' biometrics privacy law, saying an exclusion for 'health care' shouldn't apply to companies using 'virtual try-on' tools to sell non-prescription glasses
Illinois ban on carrying concealed weapons on transit unconstitutional, judge says
A Rockford federal judge particularly called a legal theory advanced by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx that government can ban guns on all public property "breathtaking, jawdropping, and eyepopping" for the harm it could deliver to constitutional rights everywhere
Bears to settle lawsuit accusing them of anti-white male hiring discrimination
A federal judge announced the settlement between the Chicago Bears and a white male DePaul University law student who said the Bears intentionally discriminated against him and other white males in advertising and hiring for a "diversity" legal position with the team
IL law doesn't protect car dealers from competition if car makers want to sell direct to buyers: IL appeals court
A state appeals panel has rejected the attempt by Illinois car dealerships to sue the state for granting licenses to electric car makers Rivian and Lucid to sell their vehicles to consumers without going through third-party franchise dealers
Democrats can't persuade Cook County elections board to ignore Springfield judge, kick Republican from ballot
Republican candidate Ron Andermann can advance to face Democrat Nicolle Grasse in the race for 53rd House District seat. Democrats had argued the Cook County Electoral Board could ignore a Springfield judge's ruling that a new state ballot access law could not be constitutionally enforced in 2024
IL Dems can't overturn court order stopping them from using ballot access law to block GOPers from running in Nov.
The Illinois Supreme Court could not come up with a four-member majority to overturn a Springfield judge's ruling that a new "anti-slating" law supported by Gov. Pritzker and his fellow Democrats was unconstitutional. The decision means Dems can't block Keeven, other GOP legislative candidates from the fall ballot
Appeals court: GOP congressman, voters can't sue IL for counting mail-in votes 2 weeks after Election Day
A divided federal appeals panel sided with the state and Democrats in tossing out a lawsuit challenging Illinois law allowing mail-in ballots to be counted up to 14 days after Election Day. A dissenting judge said the U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who led the lawsuit, was wrongly denied the chance to have his case heard
Appeals court tosses Dorman suit challenging IL ban on short-barreled rifles
The Fifth District Appellate Court said the state's ban on short-barreled rifles doesn't violate the Second Amendment or recent Supreme Court decisions because federal courts have consistently ruled that such weapons aren't commonly used for self-defense, but rather for crimes
Elections hearing officer: New IL ballot access law shouldn't apply to GOP candidate who filed before law was signed
Illinois candidates and voters still await an Illinois Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of a ballot access law, which GOPers say was designed to block them from the Nov. ballot. That decision shouldn't matter for at least one GOP candidate who filed the day before Pritzker signed the law, a hearing officer said