Illinois

  • December 04, 2025

    Ill. Atty Faces Disbarment For Taking $300K In Client Funds

    A hearing panel for Illinois' attorney watchdog has recommended that a Chicago lawyer be disbarred for allegedly taking nearly $300,000 in client money that didn't belong to him and for separately using tactics in litigation that were aimed solely at embarrassing opposing counsel.

  • December 04, 2025

    Protesters' Use-Of-Force Suit Stays Open To Field Objections

    A lawsuit accusing immigration officials of using excessive force against Chicago press and peaceful protesters should briefly stay alive for potential class member objections, but the government's position that dismissal would prevent the class from filing similar future claims is seemingly "not correct on the law," a federal judge said Thursday.

  • December 04, 2025

    Pot Co. Says Ill. Agency's Tech Glitch Led To Loan Denial

    A Chicago-area cannabis cultivator claims it lost out on millions of dollars in loan forgiveness due to a glitch in an Illinois-run website and a state agency's arbitrary decision prohibiting the grower an opportunity to refile, according to a lawsuit filed in Cook County court.

  • December 04, 2025

    Gov't Watchdog To Probe FHFA Mortgage Fraud Referrals

    The Government Accountability Office will review whether Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte weaponized mortgage fraud investigations against the president's perceived political opponents and flouted the agency's typical investigation process.

  • December 04, 2025

    Medical Device Co. Faces Investor Suit Over IV Pump Issues

    Medical device company Baxter International Inc. has been hit with a proposed investor class action accusing it of falsely claiming that it resolved issues associated with an IV pump before recalling the product this year.

  • December 04, 2025

    Pharma Cos. Denied Early Win In States' Price-Fixing Suit

    Twenty-six pharmaceutical companies failed to secure a quick win on overarching conspiracy claims in an antitrust case by the attorneys general of Connecticut and most other states, with a federal judge finding the "substantial bulk of evidence" points toward a broad industry scheme to fix 98 dermatology drug prices.

  • December 04, 2025

    Ex-Trader's Suit Accusing Rival Of Spoofing Tossed For Good

    An Illinois federal judge Thursday dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit accusing a trading firm of spoofing U.S. Treasury markets by placing orders for Treasury instruments it never intended to fill, finding the claims barred because they've already been deemed untimely in a Chicago Mercantile Exchange arbitration.

  • December 03, 2025

    Ill. Jurors Hear Loan Skepticism In Bribery Trial Recording

    A former Summit, Illinois, building inspector who received half of a local bar owner's $10,000 cash bribe told the former police chief who allegedly shepherded the deal that characterizing the money as a loan was "not going to hold up," federal jurors heard Wednesday.

  • December 03, 2025

    Baxter Defeats Suit Over Stable Value Fund In $4B 401(k) Plan

    An Illinois federal judge tossed a suit Wednesday from a worker who said medical products company Baxter International Inc. violated federal benefits law by retaining a lackluster stable value fund in its $4 billion retirement plan, ruling the data backing his case failed to capture long-term performance.

  • December 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Chicago In Officers' Vaccine Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday refused to revive a suit lodged by a group of police officers claiming Chicago's COVID-19 vaccination policy violated their constitutional and statutory rights, finding their claim had "no legal merit" and that the city rationally treated them differently to stop the spread of the virus to other employees and the public.

  • December 03, 2025

    Ex-Execs Who Pled Guilty To $67M Fraud Settle With SEC

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has moved to resolve its lawsuit accusing two former executives of an Illinois-based automobile financing company of misleading investors about the subprime automobile loans that backed a $100 million offering by the company now that they have pled guilty and been sentenced on fraud charges in a corresponding criminal case.

  • December 03, 2025

    American Airlines Can't Nix Attendant's Disability Bias Claims

    American Airlines must face a former flight attendant's lawsuit claiming he was fired after developing cataracts, an Illinois federal judge ruled, finding that he adequately alleged the airline is subject to a law that bans discrimination by organizations that receive federal funds.

  • December 02, 2025

    Protesters Drop Use-Of-Force Suit After Feds Leave Town

    Clergy, protesters and journalists on Tuesday dropped their lawsuit accusing federal agents of violently violating their First Amendment rights to protest peacefully and report news during the Trump administration's now-quiet immigration crackdown in Chicago, telling a federal judge the plaintiffs "won our case the day they left town."

  • December 02, 2025

    Ex-Police Chief Took Bribe, Then Tried A Cover-Up, Jury Hears

    A Chicago suburb's former police chief accepted a $10,000 cash bribe from a local bar owner and split the money with a municipal employee, but then tried to stage a cover-up once he learned the payment was being investigated, federal prosecutors told a jury Tuesday.

  • December 02, 2025

    Judge Blocks Planned Parenthood Funding Cut In 22 States

    A Massachusetts federal judge Tuesday stopped the Trump administration from halting Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood clinics in 22 states, ruling the funding cutoff likely violated requirements to warn the states ahead of time about the change.

  • December 02, 2025

    7th Circ. Judge Wary Of Releasing Hundreds Of ICE Detainees

    A Seventh Circuit judge said Tuesday a district judge who released on bond hundreds of civil immigration detainees arrested by the Trump administration acted "as if these are two private parties negotiating over the terms of a contract" and suggested that allowing his orders to stand could allow one presidential administration to use consent decrees to entrench their policy positions on the next.

  • December 02, 2025

    Citadel Securities Can't Duck Microchip Patent Claims

    An Illinois federal judge has denied Citadel Securities' attempt to escape a software company's patent infringement claims related to computer microchips, saying she was not convinced that the patents at issue were too abstract to be valid.

  • December 02, 2025

    Monsanto Agrees To $120M Deal Over Ill. PCB Pollution

    Monsanto Co. has reached a deal to pay $120 million to the state of Illinois to resolve a lawsuit seeking to hold the company liable for polychlorinated biphenyls pollution into the state's air, water and soil, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has announced.

  • December 02, 2025

    Judge Doubts That FEMA Funds Freeze Is Harmless

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday appeared to push back on assertions by the Trump administration that states are not entitled to a court order vacating what the government says is a temporary freeze of Federal Emergency Management Agency funds intended to pay for disaster-mitigating projects.

  • December 02, 2025

    States' HPE-Juniper Intervention Limited To Settlement

    A California federal court's ruling allowing state enforcers to intervene over a deal to end the Justice Department's challenge of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks is limited to the court's review of the settlement, according to a new order.

  • December 02, 2025

    Ill. County Nabs Partial Win In 911 Dispatcher Wage Suit

    An Illinois county nabbed a partial win in a wage suit by 911 dispatchers, a federal judge ruled, finding that the workers abandoned a challenge to a meal break deduction but holding that the county's collective bargaining agreement didn't qualify for a federal overtime exemption.

  • December 02, 2025

    X, Former Workers Lay Down Swords In Arbitration Fee Fight

    X Corp. and employees laid off after Twitter's 2022 acquisition by Elon Musk told an Illinois federal judge they have ended their battle over claims that the social media company unlawfully refused to pick up the tab for arbitration fees.

  • December 01, 2025

    Ex-Chicago Teacher Gets 1 Year For Southwest Voucher Fraud

    A former Chicago Public Schools teacher was sentenced Monday to a year and one day in federal prison for stealing $732,000 from Southwest Airlines in a scheme through which he paid for fraudulent travel vouchers and resold them to others.

  • December 01, 2025

    State AGs Demand Info From 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Lenders

    A multistate coalition of seven attorneys general has launched a probe into the terms and fees set by "buy now, pay later" lenders that are popular with shoppers, saying they're concerned that the companies' products could be breaking consumer protection laws.

  • December 01, 2025

    AGs Push For Law To Boost Tribal Access To US Marshals

    Thirty-nine state attorneys general are calling on federal lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow the U.S. Marshal's Service to assist tribal law enforcement in tracking down individuals with felony warrants, saying it's vital to public safety and to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis.

Expert Analysis

  • How States Are Regulating Health Insurers' AI Usage

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    The absence of a federal artificial intelligence framework positions states as key regulators of health insurers’ AI use, making it important for payors and service providers to understand the range of state AI legislation being passed in California and elsewhere, and consider implementing an AI-focused compliance infrastructure, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • Surveying The Changing Overdraft Fee Landscape

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    Despite recent federal moves that undermine consumer overdraft fee protections, last year’s increase in fee charges suggests banks will face continued scrutiny via litigation and state regulation, says Amanda Kurzendoerfer at Bates White.

  • The Evolving Legal Landscape For THC-Infused Beverages

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    A recent Eighth Circuit ruling, holding that states may restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products without violating federal law, combined with ongoing regulatory uncertainty at both the federal and state levels, could alter the trajectory of the THC-infused beverage market, say attorneys at Pashman Stein.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s criminal law decisions in its recently concluded term proved underwhelming by many measures, their opinions revealed trends in how the justices approach criminal cases and offered reminders for practitioners, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • Previewing State Efforts To Regulate Mental Health Chatbots

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    New York, Nevada and Utah have all recently enacted laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence to deliver mental health services, offering early insights into how other states may regulate this area, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Midyear Rewind: How Courts Are Reshaping VPPA Standards

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    The first half of 2025 saw a series of cases interpreting the Video Privacy Protection Act as applied to website tracking technologies, including three appellate rulings deepening circuit splits on what qualifies as personally identifiable information and who qualifies as a consumer under the statute, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Trans Bias Suits Will Persist Despite EEOC's Shifting Priorities

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    In U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Sis-Bro, an Illinois federal court let a transgender worker intervene in a bias suit that the EEOC moved to dismiss, signaling that the agency's pending gender identity-related actions will carry on even as its priorities shift to align with the new administration, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

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