The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) found a public body in violation of the Open Meetings Act (OMA) in its fifth binding opinion of 2026 for an inadequate agenda. PAC Op. 26-005.A citizen filed a request for review with the PAC office claiming that a village board violated the OMA at a meeting where it voted on the termination of a village employee. Specifically, the citizen claimed that the agenda only listed “Personnel issues” under a “POLICE & LIQUOR” heading on the agenda, which he claimed was not sufficient to inform the public of the matter on
Continue Reading Village Board Violated OMA by Not Including "General Subject Matter" of Action Item on Agenda
PAC Finds City Council in Violation of OMA for Closed Session Discussions
The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) issued its 4th binding opinion of 2026 finding a public body in violation of the Open Meetings Act (OMA) by discussing matters in closed session that were not outside the scope of a closed session exemption. PAC Op. 26-004.A citizen filed an OMA complaint with the PAC claiming that a city council improperly held closed sessions to discuss the potential renovation of city hall and plans for a new city hall. In response to the complaint, the city argued that the city council discussed whether or not the city needed to
Continue Reading PAC Finds City Council in Violation of OMA for Closed Session Discussions
Prosser Rule Applied to City Council’s Appointment of Clerk
It isn’t often that the Illinois courts apply the “Prosser Rule” to the vote of a city council, but an Illinois Appellate Court did just that recently in Christian v. Buscher. In 2025, a city council held a special meeting to vote on the appointment of a person to fill a vacant city clerk position. The city council (made up of 10 elected aldermen and the mayor) voted five “yea,” three “nay,” and two “present” on the motion to approve an ordinance to appoint a sitting alderman to fill the clerk position. The mayor (who did not vote) announced
Continue Reading Prosser Rule Applied to City Council’s Appointment of Clerk
Removal of Tow Company from County Tow List Not a Due Process Violation
In Tire Town Auto, LLC v. Wood County, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals found no due process violation when a county removed a tow company from the county’s tow list. A Wisconsin county maintained a list of towing businesses that were available on a rotating basis to recover vehicles on public roads. After receiving complaints about one of the tow companies, the county removed it from the list and the company sued, claiming the county violated its procedural due process rights in removing it from from the tow list. The county asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing
Continue Reading Removal of Tow Company from County Tow List Not a Due Process Violation
Quorum Forum Podcast Ep. 105: Anatomy of a Redevelopment Agreement (Part 2)
Ancel Glink’s Quorum Forum Podcast has released a new episode, Episode 105: Anatomy of a Redevelopment Agreement (Part 2).
In this episode, we return to the Southland Development Authority’s “TIF
Talk” training series for a deep dive into the financial and practical
implementation of economic development deals. Hosted by the Village of Hazel
Crest, this session features Ancel Glink’s
David Silverman, Michio Murakishi (Meech Group),
and Terri Cox
(Matanky Realty Group).
Building on the structural overview provided in Quorum Forum
97: Anatomy of a Redevelopment Agreement, the panel explores
how municipalities can use RDAs to bridge
Continue Reading Quorum Forum Podcast Ep. 105: Anatomy of a Redevelopment Agreement (Part 2)
105: Anatomy of a Redevelopment Agreement (Part 2)
In this episode, we return to the Southland Development Authority’s “TIF Talk” training series for a deep dive into the financial and practical implementation of economic development deals. Hosted by the Village of Hazel Crest, this session features Ancel Glink’s David Silverman, Michio Murakishi (Meech Group), and Terri Cox (Matanky Realty Group).
Building on the structural overview provided in Quorum Forum 97: Anatomy of a Redevelopment Agreement, the panel explores how municipalities can use RDAs to bridge financial gaps and ensure projects are feasible for developers while protecting the public interest.
Highlights:
- The Math of Incentives:
Continue Reading 105: Anatomy of a Redevelopment Agreement (Part 2)
Court Finds Health Reimbursement Benefits Not Covered by PSEBA
In a recent decision, the Illinois Appellate Court upheld a fire protection district’s (District) denial of certain supplemental benefits to a disabled firefighter who was receiving benefits under the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act (PSEBA). Carter v. Fox Lake Fire Protection District.
A firefighter was injured in the line of duty and applied for and received a duty disability pension. The firefighter was also eligible for, and received, benefits under PSEBA, which provides health insurance benefits to public safety officers who suffer a catastrophic injury in the line of duty. For six years, the District provided the disabled firefighter with
Continue Reading Court Finds Health Reimbursement Benefits Not Covered by PSEBA
Status of the Digital Library Protection Act
As many of our library readers already know, the Illinois House has passed House Bill 5236, the Digital Library Protection Act. If approved by the Illinois Senate, and signed by the Governor, this new law would prevent Illinois libraries (and any library consortium acting on behalf of a library) from entering into contracts with publishers regarding “electronic literary materials” (defined as e-books and digital audio books) that would:
Continue Reading Status of the Digital Library Protection Act
PAC Finds Village Board’s Closed Session Violated OMA
The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) issued its third binding opinion for 2026 finding a village board in violation of the Open Meetings Act relating to a closed session. PAC Op. 26-003.A sitting trustee on a village board submitted a complaint to the PAC claiming that the village board went into closed session to discuss “personnel issues” but instead discussed outstanding TIF loans. The village filed a response arguing that the board’s closed session discussion fell under the “litigation exception” to the OMA, and that the mayor had mispoke in citing the personnel exception. The PAC reviewed the
Continue Reading PAC Finds Village Board’s Closed Session Violated OMA
Illinois Bill Proposes Regulations for E-Bikes, E-Scooters, and Similar Devices
After
Public Act 103-899 was signed into law in August 2024 (regulating low-speed electric bikes), some Illinois local
governments adopted a patchwork of regulations governing the operation of
low-speed electric bicycles and low-speed electric scooters in their
communities. In an effort to promote statewide uniformity, the Illinois General
Assembly is considering Senate
Bill 3336, which, if passed in both houses, would enact sweeping changes to the
authority and scope of local government regulations for these and other devices and vehicles. This post analyzes some of most important changes proposed by the
bill.Electric Micromobility Devices (EMDs)
First,
SB 3336 would repeal
Continue Reading Illinois Bill Proposes Regulations for E-Bikes, E-Scooters, and Similar Devices
DOJ Extends Title II ADA Web Content Accessibility Compliance Deadlines
On April 20, 2026, the DOJ published an interim final
rule (link here)
to extend the compliance deadlines under the new Title II Americans with
Disabilities Act Rule that set technical standards requiring state and local government web content and mobile apps to meet the technical standards of Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA.
The Rule previously required state and local governments
with a population of 50,000 or more to comply with the accessibility guidelines
by April 24, 2026. State and local governments with a population of less than
50,000, and any special district governments, were
Continue Reading DOJ Extends Title II ADA Web Content Accessibility Compliance Deadlines
Supreme Court Declines to Hear AI Copyright Case
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in an Artificial Intelligence (AI)/copyright case. Thaler v. Perlmutter. You can read the court of appeals decision here.
A Missouri artist had applied for a copyright registration for visual art he created through the use of AI technology. The U.S. Copyright Office rejected his application because the work was not created by “human authorship” as required to register a copyright. He sued, and both the district court and court of appeals upheld the Copyright Office’s denial of his application. He then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court,
Continue Reading Supreme Court Declines to Hear AI Copyright Case
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Preventing Enforcement of Law That Limits “Drag Story Hour” and Similar Events
In 2023, the Montana state legislature passed a bill (Bill) prohibiting any school or library that
receives state funding from allowing any “sexually oriented performance or drag
story hour” on their property. The Bill includes significant criminal and
civil penalties for both performers and institutions hosting these events. Just
months after the Bill passed, a group of individuals, organizations, and
businesses (plaintiffs) filed a lawsuit claiming the Bill violates the First
Amendment by restricting protected speech based on content. The federal district court
issued a preliminary injunction limiting the state’s enforcement of the
Bill during the lawsuit. The state appealed
Continue Reading Federal Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Preventing Enforcement of Law That Limits “Drag Story Hour” and Similar Events
Appellate Court Upholds Conviction of Disorderly Conduct Ordinance Violation
A parent was arrested for violation of a disorderly conduct ordinance, and was later convicted at trial. According to the court opinion, the arrest related to conduct of the parent towards a teacher at his child’s school where he clenched his fists and cursed. He appealed his conviction on several grounds, including that his First Amendment rights were violated, that the city violated court discovery rules, and that the sentence was outside the city’s authority.
The Appellate Court upheld his conviction in City of Naperville v. Penick. First, the Court rejected his First Amendment argument, finding that he engaged
Continue Reading Appellate Court Upholds Conviction of Disorderly Conduct Ordinance Violation
Tree Trimming Incident Leads to Multiple Lawsuits
An Illinois Appellate Court ruled in favor of a county in a lawsuit involving the county’s actions in regards to a tree trimming incident involving neighbors in Lugo v. Woodford County. Two neighboring property owners had ongoing issues with each other which were serious enough to cause one neighbor to seek a no-stalking, no contact order from the other neighbor. While his petition for a protective order was pending, the petitioning neighbor hired a tree trimmer to trim branches of a tree on his neighbor’s property that were overhanging onto his property. Because of the ongoing neighbor problems, the tree
Continue Reading Tree Trimming Incident Leads to Multiple Lawsuits
Supreme Court Finds Qualified Immunity for Police Officer Sued for Excessive Force by Protester
The Supreme Court recently weighed in on the issue of qualified immunity for a police officer who was sued under the civil rights statute for allegedly using excessive force in removing a person from a protest. Zorn v. Linton.
Protestors staged a sit-in at the state capitol on the day of the Vermont Governor’s inauguration. When the capitol closed for the day, police officers informed the protesters that they needed to leave or would be arrested for trespassing. When they refused to leave, officers removed them one-by-one. When one of the protesters refused to stand up, a police officer
Continue Reading Supreme Court Finds Qualified Immunity for Police Officer Sued for Excessive Force by Protester