ABA Journal

Illinois

1897 ABA Journal Illinois articles.

Food labeling lawyer’s ‘warehouse of complaints’ are ‘not fit for public consumption,’ judge says

A federal judge in Illinois who has a knack for criticizing lawyers with biting prose has turned his attention to a lawyer who battles food companies over their labeling.

Rights Work: UChicago constitutional law course brings together incarcerated youths, law students

The eight-week class is designed to give incarcerated youths an opportunity to consider their rights while exposing the law students to the younger students’ worldview through in-class discussions on topics that include freedom of speech, due process and reproductive freedom, along with weekly mentoring sessions.

Nearly 2,000 children were sexually abused by members of Catholic clergy and religious orders, Illinois AG’s investigation finds

At least 1,997 children were sexually abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers in Illinois between 1950 and 2019, according to a report released Tuesday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

Chicago’s refusal to allow ‘Hail Satan’ city council invocation violates First Amendment, suit says

Chicago has rebuffed requests by the Satanic Temple to deliver city council invocations for more than three years, violating the First Amendment in two ways, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month.

Supreme Court allows enforcement of laws banning sales of assault-style weapons

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an emergency request to block bans on sales of assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines while legal challenges continue in lower courts.

Federal judge warns law firm that ‘judge shopping ain’t a thing here’

Plaintiffs can’t go looking for “greener judicial pasture” by dropping 213 of 218 defendants from a lawsuit and then filing a new suit against the same 213 defendants, according to a federal judge in Chicago.

Weekly Briefs: Murder cases move slowly in Chicago; Neuriva decision could limit attorney fees

Justice is slow in Chicago

Most murder cases in the county that includes Chicago take four years or longer to resolve, according to a series of investigative stories by the…

Northwestern law prof’s federal case is ‘the definition of vexatious and wasteful,’ judge says in ordering sanction

A federal judge in Colorado has ordered a professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law to pay attorney fees as a sanction for a federal action that is “the definition of vexatious and wasteful.”

Lawyer who created fake documents to lower capital contribution should be suspended, review board says

An Illinois lawyer who created phony documents to lower his capital contribution to his law firm should be suspended for five months, an Illinois review board has found.

Many young people arrested for Chicago carjackings have been exposed to violence daily, lawyer and pastor says

As rises in Chicago carjackings continue to increase fear among many residents, Cliff Nellis, an attorney and pastor who founded the Lawndale Christian Legal Center, says his nonprofit group represents a fair amount of young people charged with the crime.

Backers of Equal Rights Amendment lose mandamus bid in DC Circuit

The states of Illinois and Nevada lost their bid to make the Equal Rights Amendment part of the Constitution on Tuesday, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that they did not satisfy the high threshold needed to obtain a writ of mandamus.

Family law gave this lawyer some ideas about what clients really want

Jessica Bednarz has spent much of her career representing people, researching access-to-justice issues and using that knowledge to try to find better ways to deliver legal services. That includes using what’s known as “design thinking” for developing client service programs.

Court dismisses part of UIC law prof’s civil rights lawsuit

Updated: A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a claim brought by Jason Kilborn, the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law professor who used abbreviated racial and gender slurs in a 2020 essay exam question, that he had been unfairly retaliated against for engaging in protected speech. However, the court also allowed some of his defamation claims to go forward.

Magistrate judge recommends ethics probe of Northwestern law prof, who sees ‘crock of nonsense’

A professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is firing back after a federal magistrate judge said he should be referred to disciplinary authorities for his “shameful” conduct in a probate dispute with his mentally ill sister.

Disbarred lawyer and estranged husband of ‘Real Housewives’ star is charged with stealing $18M; is he competent for trial?

Disbarred plaintiffs’ lawyer Tom Girardi has been federally indicted in Chicago and Los Angeles for allegedly embezzling more than $18 million from clients. Girardi is the estranged husband of Erika Girardi of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

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