Court upholds state legislative redistricting plan
SPRINGFIELD – A three-judge federal court panel has upheld the legislative redistricting plan that state lawmakers approved during a special session last summer, thus leaving in place the new maps that will govern state legislative elections for the next 10 years. In their 64-page opinion, released Thursday, Dec. 30, the judges said the plaintiffs in […]
Illinois Supreme Court: Alan Beaman Can Sue Town Of Normal, Police
NORMAL – The Illinois Supreme Court has again overruled the appeals court in Alan Beaman’s attempt to sue the Town of Normal and three police officers for malicious prosecution. In a 4-2 ruling, the justices have sent the case back to McLean County Circuit Court for trial, seven years after it was first filed in 2014. Beaman was […]
Rauner Agrees To Settle Robocall Lawsuit For $1 Million
SPRINGFIELD — People targeted by a campaign robocall from former Gov. Bruce Rauner since his first campaign in 2014 will be eligible to earn a portion of a $1 million settlement agreement that was reached last month in a class-action case. The agreement would end the federal lawsuit against the former governor and his campaign entity, Citizens […]
GOP Leaders Sue Over New District Maps
SPRINGFIELD – Republican leaders in the Illinois House and Senate filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of the new legislative district maps that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law June 4. Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie, of Hawthorn Woods, and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, filed the suit in U.S. District Court […]
Former GOP Rep. Seeking Back Pay For Himself, All Other Lawmakers In Class Action Suit
SPRINGFIELD — A former state lawmaker is suing the state comptroller for salary increases he claims he was entitled to while serving in the Illinois General Assembly for 12 years, even though he voted against those raises as a lawmaker. Former Rep. Mike Fortner joins two other former state senators in filing separate lawsuits against […]
‘I…Thought I Was Saving His Life’: Families Of LaSalle Vets’ Home COVID Victims Prepare To Sue
SPRINGFIELD – Beth Ouimet thought she had lucked out in the summer of 2019 when her father got a placement in the state-run LaSalle Veterans’ Home after an episode of PTSD made it clear that living on his own wasn’t an option for the immediate future. And even after COVID-19 hit Illinois and locked down the […]
Judge Declines To Dismiss Lawsuit Over Indoor Dining Ban
SPRINGFIELD – A Kane County restaurant’s legal challenge to Gov. JB Pritzker’s ban on indoor dining can continue, a Sangamon County judge ruled this week. Attorneys for Pritzker tried to have the lawsuit dismissed but Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow on Wednesday declined to do so. While Grischow decided not to dismiss the case, she did […]
Illinois Auto Dealers Sue Jesse White’s Office, Electric Vehicle Companies
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Automobile Dealers Association has filed a lawsuit against Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s office, alleging that White is allowing unlicensed, unregulated dealers to operate in Illinois, in violation of state law. At issue in the case is whether automobile manufacturers should be allowed to own and operate their own dealerships […]
State Police Sued Over Concealed Carry License Delays
SPRINGFIELD – Four Illinois residents who have been waiting for months for their state-issued Concealed Carry Licenses are suing officials with the Illinois State Police for allegedly depriving them of their right to bear arms and right to due process. The lawsuit, filed Friday by the four individuals as well as the Illinois State Rifle Association […]
Federal Court Denies State Motion In Transgender Prisoner Case
SPRINGFIELD — A federal district court in Southern Illinois denied a request Thursday from the Illinois Department of Corrections to dismiss a class-action lawsuit against the department for its treatment of transgender prisoners. That case, Monroe v. Jeffreys, was originally filed in 2018 as Monroe v. Rauner by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf […]
Lawsuit Alleges Farmworkers Sickened After Pesticide Exposure
In late July 2019, a group of migrant farmworkers from south Texas was working in a cornfield in DeWitt County, Ill., when suddenly a crop duster flew…
Judge Weighing Dismissal Of COVID-19 Lawsuits
A circuit court judge in Springfield is now weighing whether to dismiss lawsuits by Republican Rep. Darren Bailey and others challenging Gov. JB…
Lawsuit Filed Over Graduated Income Tax Ballot Measure
SPRINGFIELD – The libertarian-leaning Illinois Policy Institute on Monday filed suit in an effort to derail Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature policy proposal — changing Illinois’ constitution to allow for a graduated income tax — by forcing the state to issue “corrective notices” about the intent of the tax change, or declaring the vote on the amendment […]
News Around Illinois – May 25, 2020
State COVID-19 Cases Top 110,000 SPRINGFIELD – On Sunday, the state reported 2,508 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 110,304. Illinois Department of Public Health also reported an additional 67 deaths, making the statewide total 4,856. The Coles County health department says two more residents of Charleston Rehab and Healthcare died of COVID-19. The […]
Judge Rules Against Gov. Pritzker’s Extended Stay-At-Home Order
CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced 1,980 new cases of COVID-19 Monday. That brings the state’s total to 45,883. The state saw 50 deaths in the last day, bringing total fatalities to 1,983. Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Illinois) also responded to news that an Illinois judge had ruled against the extended stay-at-home […]