Federal prosecutors allege Michael J. Madigan, who for 40 years led Illinois Democrats and ruled over much of Springfield and Chicago politics, was the leader of a criminal racketeering enterprise, beginning at least 10 years ago.
Metra wants to derail a judge's ruling that Union Pacific does not have to run commuter lines in northwest Chicago, arguing the judge committed a "manifest injustice" in refusing to consider the railroad was contractually obligated to keep operating the service.
Attorney Joseph Longo argued federal judge should've approved nearly $1 million more for his work on the case. But a federal appeals panel ruled his claims were "meritless" or even "simply frivolous."
While Gov. JB Pritzker says the state is ready to emerge from federal court oversight of its hiring practices, a new court filing asserts efforts by the Office of the Executive Inspector General to impede court-appointed monitors from seeing certain state hiring reports says otherwise.
The filing comes in response to Gov. JB Pritzker's try to end the court decrees that gives federal monitors the authority to combat patronage hiring in state government.
A court-appointed monitor of Illinois' government hiring practices says Gov. Pritzker has 'diminished' her ability to communicate with state personnel, harming efforts to complete a reform plan.
A new class action asks a federal judge to order the refund of potentially more than $100 million in fines generated from a network of red light cameras in Chicago’s southwest suburbs, which were allegedly installed as a result of a racketeering conspiracy built on bribes and grift.
A Chicago-based advertising and marketing billboard company effectively lost the appeal of its property rights and antitrust claims against the a rival company and the village of Bellwood after it lost a lease following an imposition of a sign ban in the suburban community, a federal appeals court recently ruled.
Drivers in Illinois are paying sharply higher taxes on gas, after the state doubled the tax to pay for transportation-related projects across Illinois. But what qualifies as "transportation-related" spending? A lawsuit vs Cook County now on appeal could answer that question
The state of Illinois has been ordered to pay nearly $800,000 in legal fees to lawyers representing a Muslim employee of the Illinois Department of Transportation after a jury found IDOT supervisors had retaliated against him and did not give him space to pray and practice his religion. The ex-IDOT worker received more than $1.2 million in damages and back pay and benefits.
A new executive order from outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner will pave the way for self-driving car testing in Illinois, setting the stage for further questions down the road.
A federal judge has determined a state employee — notable for his public anti-union stances — can’t intervene on behalf of the state in a lawsuit it faces from a union leader asking courts to declare unions aren’t obligated to represent employees who refuse to pay membership dues.
Saying Illinois’ attorney general’s defense is “inadequate” and is “bordering on malpractice,” an Illinois state employee who factored in the court action that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down rules requiring non-union workers to pay fees to unions has again jumped into a federal court action, this time asking a judge to allow his legal team to defend the state against a union’s attempt to secure a court order striking down labor laws requiring them to represent all workers in a collective bargaining unit.
Dealing with an employee exhibiting mental health problems remains a thorny issue despite a federal appeals court's recent ruling denying a disability discrimination claim against an Illinois state agency.
A Chicago real estate lawyer convicted of defrauding banks for allegedly boosting a scheme to con mortgage lenders out of $1.5 million in loans on behalf of sham condo purchasers, has been suspended from practicing law in Illinois, one of 16 lawyers disciplined this month by the Illinois Supreme Court.
In the wake of a scathing report from a court-appointed “special master” empowered to investigate political hiring abuses under former Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and other state officials and lawmakers, current Gov. Bruce Rauner has asked for the court’s guidance on whether those improperly hired, thanks to political connections, should now be able to use collective bargaining agreements to leverage the experience they gained in those positions to land in different positions or even move up in the state’s employment ranks.
