Liberty Justice Center
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'Speech code': Proposed new IL rule would rewrite why and how lawyers can be punished for 'discrimination'
Supporters say rule change needed to prevent "harassment" and discrimination. Opponents say it would empower state regulators to discriminate against lawyers who express political and social opinions disfavored by Illinois' dominant progressives -
Liberty Justice Center sues over law forcing Illinoisans to litigate constitutional challenges in Chicago, Springfield
The Liberty Justice Center is suing Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in St. Clair County Circuit Court, challenging a state law that requires all Illinois residents to file Constitutional claims against state laws, rules, or orders in Cook or Sangamon County Circuit Courts. -
Lawsuits incoming? Supreme Court rules 'home equity theft' tax sales unconstitutional, could spur action vs IL counties
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled counties and investors can't just pocket potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sale of properties over relatively much smaller unpaid property taxes. States, like Illinois, and counties, like Cook County, are being warned that changes must be made or lawsuits will follow -
IL gives up defending likely unconstitutional, politically motivated limits on judicial campaign contributions
A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction, forbidding state officials from enforcing laws enacted in 2021 forbidding out-of-state judicial campaign donations and limiting individual donations to $500,000. Critics said the laws were enacted to give Democrats a money edge in state Supreme Court races -
Appeals panel closes door on homeowners' challenge to Chicago's 'Airbnb ordinance'
Ruling affirms lower court's repeated rulings in favor of allowing the city to enforce the rules on short-term home rentals, such as those sold through sites like Airbnb -
Appeals court says Waukegan teacher can't sue a teachers union she claimed she joined by mistake
A federal appeals panel has ruled a Waukegan teacher can't claim she mistakenly joined the teachers union because she thought membership was mandatory, saying government workers' right to refrain from union membership does not override a voluntarily signed agreement to join. -
Judge blocks IL Dems' law to block out-of-state donations to judge campaigns
Democrats said the law was needed to maintain judicial integrity. A federal judge said he feared the law was actually motivated by a desire for the Democrats who dominate Springfield to "maintain the status quo" of Democratic control of the courts, not to fight corruption -
Appeals panel won't block pro-union Amendment 1 from ballot; Critics: Would give unions unconstitutional powers
Appeals panel says the pro-union Amendment 1 must be approved by voters before it can be challenged in court, even though opponents say the amendment's language already blatantly conflicts with federal law and is itself unconstitutional -
Lawsuit challenges campaign contribution limits in Illinois judicial races
Limits on political donations in Illinois judicial races are illegal and violate the U.S. Constitution, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court in Chicago. -
Springfield judge denies bid to block 'unconstitutional' Amendment 1 from fall ballot; Appeal forthcoming
Plaintiffs say the proposed Illinois state constitutional amendment would allow unions to use collective bargaining agreements to override state and federal law, which the plaintiffs say makes Amendment 1 unconstitutional from the start -
Fear & Politics: Judges, lawyers reluctant to defend rights vs guv's, mayors' emergency power amid pandemic
Why have judges and lawyers - including those who bill themselves as defenders of civil liberties - largely deferred to the widespread use of emergency executive power by governors, mayors and others, throughout the Covid pandemic, despite constitutional questions? -
Appeals panel says states can make lawyers join the bar based on 'undermined' law, but SCOTUS might say 'no'
A Chicago federal appeals court has ruled it is constitutional for Wisconsin to make lawyers belong to the state bar association, despite a lawyer's contention his dues back political causes he does not support -
Lawsuit: Pro-union IL constitutional amendment would clash with federal law, U.S. Constitution, must be struck down
A group of Cook County taxpayers, with lawyers from the Liberty Justice Center and Illinois Policy Institute, say the measure, known as Amendment 1, would unconstitutionally give unions expansive new powers that exceed the limits on union organizing and bargaining set by federal law -
Judge: Waukegan teacher voluntarily joined union, can't claim union misled her, violated constitutional rights
A Waukegan high school English teacher said she believed she had been misled into joining the local teachers union. The union refunded her dues, plus $500, when she resigned and filed suit. -
Liberty Justice Center accuses River Forest D90 of not following Open Meetings law, singles out Equity committee
"All citizens have the right to know what their government is doing," says nonprofit civil liberties group, about a letter it sent to River Forest District 90, demanding officials provide proper notice and minutes for meetings. The letter particularly noted problems with notice and records for the district's equity and policy committees. -
Lawsuit: Chicago, Cook County vax passports do nothing vs omicron, 'patently irrational,' unconstitutional
A group of Chicago and Cook County residents have sued the city and county, saying the vaccine passport orders deprive people of their rights without coming close to achieving their stated goals of reducing the spread of the omicron COVID variant -
'Illegal strikes... must be stopped': Parents to continue lawsuit vs CTU, despite deal to reopen Chicago Public Schools
The lawsuit vs the Chicago Teachers Union called the union's 'remote work action' an illegal strike that harmed children and families in Chicago -
Parents sue Chicago Teachers Union, ask judge to rule union's COVID 'remote work action' actually illegal strike
The parents of Chicago Public Schools students assert the union has violated state labor law and their contract by refusing to come to schools, even though CPS has declared school can be carried out safely amid the COVID surge -
SCOTUS refuses school workers' claims unions unconstitutionally took dues after they tried to leave
Two Chicago teachers and a Moline custodian claimed their unions ignored the Supreme Court and the Constitution by limiting their ability to leave the union only to one "escape period" each year. -
IL Dems revise Conscience Act, but say they're not, in 'implicit recognition' law protected vax mandate objectors
Courts will ultimately be left to unravel whether the Democrats' "declaration of existing law" should now allow the state and employers to enforce vaccine mandates against religious objectors, when courts have been skeptical, at best.