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Latest from Ancel Glink Diamond Bush DiCianni & Krafthefer, P.C.

A collection of books. A little time. A lot of learning.
Kimberly Farmer, Unsplash

An Illinois Appellate Court recently issued a ruling regarding a school detachment/annexation petition in a lengthy opinion analyzing the requirements for a property owner to detach their property from one school district and attach it to another school district. Board of Education of Jasper County Community Unit Sch. Dist. No. 1 v. Regional Board of School Trustees, et al. The case has a convoluted history with multiple motions to reconsider and changes of position of both the Regional Board and circuit court, which partially explains the long opinion.

Homeowners of property located in Jasper County (petitioners) filed a petition with…
Continue Reading Regional Board’s Decision Allowing Property to Switch School Districts Struck Down

The First District Appellate Court overturned a trial court’s denial of civil penalties in a FOIA case challenging a police department’s response to a news media’s FOIA requests. NBC Subsidiary v. Chicago Police Department.

NBC filed FOIA requests with a police department seeking surveillance video, incident reports, witness statements, and other records relating to a hit-and-run crash, as well as emails to and from two police officers relating to the crash. The police department responded by referring the requester to its records inquiry section for the crash reports and by denying the request for body-work camera footage. The response also…
Continue Reading First District Appellate Court Interprets Civil Penalty Provision of FOIA Differently than Second District

Ancel Glink released Episode 109 of its Quorum Forum Podcast: Quorum Forum Ep. 109: The 100-Year Legacy of Euclid.This year marks 100 years since
the United States Supreme Court decided the landmark zoning case, Euclid v.
Ambler Realty. In this episode, we share a recorded presentation from Ancel
Glink’s David
Silverman, FAICP, and ZoneCo’s Sean Suder, as a sneak
preview of their upcoming live plenary session at the APA-IL State Conference
on September 30, 2026! 
Episode Highlights

  • The
    Public Safety Roots of Zoning: Why early 20th-century industrial chaos,
    street accidents involving children, noise, and pollution

…
Continue Reading Quorum Forum Podcast Ep. 109: The 100-Year Legacy of Euclid

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This year marks 100 years since
the United States Supreme Court decided the landmark zoning case, Euclid v.
Ambler Realty. In this episode, we share a recorded presentation from Ancel
Glink’s David
Silverman, FAICP, and ZoneCo’s Sean Suder, as a sneak
preview of their upcoming live plenary session at the APA-IL State Conference
on September 30, 2026! How does zoning and the legacy of Euclid continue
to shape your community? Email us at podcast@ancelglink.com!

Episode Highlights

  • The
    Public Safety Roots of Zoning: Why early 20th-century industrial chaos,
    street accidents involving children, noise, and pollution prompted

…
Continue Reading 109: The 100-Year Legacy of Euclid

An Illinois Appellate Court ruled in favor of a village and village employees in a lawsuit filed by a firefighter claiming he was injured during a training drill.  Hidalgo v. Village of Romeoville.
A village firefighter attended an advanced technician
firefighter training course. As part of that training course curriculum, participants were required to perform a “bailout
drill.” During a bailout drill, participants exit out a third-story
window of a hose tower, one leg at a time, and then use rappel line to descend
down the side of the tower. Participants could use a Class 1 harness, Class 3
pre-sewn…
Continue Reading Village Immune From Liability For Firefighter’s Injuries During Training Drill

A
reporter submitted a FOIA request to a city seeking copies of correspondence exchanged between a city official and a representative from a private company,
which the city official subsequently forwarded to a city attorney for the
purpose of seeking legal guidance. The city denied the request citing to FOIA exemption under Section
7(1)(m), stating that because these documents came into possession of a city
attorney from a client, they were protected by the attorney-client privilege and
are exempt from disclosure. The reporter then filed an appeal with the Illinois Attorney General’s
Public Access Counselor (“PAC”) contesting the denial.

The…
Continue Reading PAC Says Third Party Communications Subsequently Forwarded to Attorney Not Exempt from FOIA

Modern urban e-mobility e-scooter – Voi Scooters - Get Magic Wheels
Markus Spiske, Unsplash

A
new Illinois law governing who can use electric bikes and scooters, how fast
they go, and where they can be used will go into effect next year. Last week, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 3484  (now P.A. 104-0854) creating new
statewide standards for “micromobility” devices that include age restrictions,
speed limits, and locations where they can operate. The bill takes effect on
January 1, 2027.
According
to the bill, “electric micromobility devices” are a light-weight, low-speed,
electric-powered device primarily used for personal transportation that operate
at speeds up to 28 miles per hour. This includes electric skateboards, electric…
Continue Reading New Law Establishes Rules for Electric Bikes and Scooters

In its 9th binding opinion for 2026, the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) found in favor of a public body in a FOIA appeal involving a request for storm sewer infrastructure maps and records. PAC Op. 26-009. A requester submitted a request to a city water department asking for sewer and flood control maps, GIS mapping data, engineering schematics, and other maps detailing the exact locations of all surface water drainage infrastructure for a specified area in the city. The city denied the request, citing to section 7(1)(x) of FOIA which exempts the following from disclosure:Maps and other…
Continue Reading PAC Finds City Did Not Violate FOIA in Denying Request for Storm Sewer Maps and Records

An Illinois Appellate Court ruled in favor of a public body in a FOIA lawsuit, finding the appeal frivolous in Tidwell v. Illinois Department of Corrections.A requester submitted a request to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) seeking the names of all medical personnel. IDOC denied the request, citing to a FOIA exemption that expressly exempts from release records requested by persons committed to the DOC or a county jail that include staff members’ personnel files, staff rosters, or other staffing assignment information. The requester filed a lawsuit against IDOC. The circuit court dismissed his lawsuit, ruling in favor…
Continue Reading Court Finds Appeal of Dismissal of FOIA Lawsuit Frivolous

In
response to a FOIA request seeking a court docket for a specific case, a city
responded that it did not have any responsive records in its possession or
custody, and directed the requester to contact the agency most likely to have
responsive records (the county court system). After the requester sued the city alleging FOIA violations,
the circuit court ruled in favor of the city, finding that the city did not
violate FOIA when it did not produce records that were not in its possession.After
the requester appealed, an Illinois Appellate Court upheld the circuit
court’s ruling in favor…
Continue Reading City Did Not Violate FOIA in Denying Request for Records Maintained by Another Public Body

An Illinois Appellate Court rejected an inmate’s claims in a FOIA lawsuit against a sheriff’s department in King v. Livingston County Sheriff’s Office.An inmate filed a FOIA request with a sheriff’s office seeking records pertaining to racial profiling by a specific police officer. The sheriff’s office responded that it had no responsive records because the officer was not employed by the sheriff’s office but a city police department. The inmate sued, and the circuit court ruled in favor of the sheriff’s office. On appeal, the Appellate Court also found no violation of FOIA in the sheriff’s office’s response, holding…
Continue Reading No Violation of FOIA Where Records Not in Possession of Responding Public Body

Young man holding the new Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Picture taken by Jonas Leupe (www.brandstof.cc/jonas) for my friends at Tandem Tech (www.tandemtech.be)
Jonas Leupe, Unsplash

On August 7, 2026, Governor Pritzker
signed Public
Act 104-0808 into law, also referred to as Tammurra’s Act (Act). The Act applies to various facilities and
institutions, including libraries established under the Local Library Act and
Public Library District Act of 1991, county shelter care homes, public
institutions of higher education, and licensed day care centers. The Act takes effect on January 1, 2027.
The Act requires that contact
information for the 9-8-8 National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline be posted in these facilities “in a prominent location
that is visible to and accessible by” patrons and users. The 9-8-8 Lifeline is…
Continue Reading Governor Signs Bill Requiring Libraries and Other Facilities to Post Suicide Hotline (9-8-8) Information

An Illinois Appellate Court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit claiming a city was responsible for damages relating to a failed sale of city land because of alleged verbal promises of a city employee. Arroyo et al. v. City of Chicago.

According to the lawsuit, the city economic development coordinator met with a potential purchaser of property that was owned by the city. The city entered into a right of entry agreement allowing the potential purchaser to access the properties to conduct due diligence. However, the parties did not enter into a purchase and sale agreement for the sale of…
Continue Reading City Not Liable for Damages in Failed Sale of City Land

In Schulte v. Leners, et al., the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals addressed a challenge to a municipal official’s deletion of critical comments on the town’s website, as well as the town’s decision to entirely shut down future comments on its website.A Wisconsin town maintained a website where it posted agendas and updates on pending town activities and business. The website allowed members of the public to comment on individual town posts, and many members of the public did express their opinions in the comment sections. The town did not have a policy to limit who could comment or…
Continue Reading 7th Circuit Addresses First Amendment Challenge to Town’s Deletion of Comments on Website

Ancel Glink released Quorum Forum Podcast Episode 108: Quorum Forum 108: Election Special!
Summer of 2026 is upon us,
and election season is kicking off as spirited candidates, trusted election
authorities, and municipalities across Illinois seek to address a host of
complex issues. Local election officials and electoral boards have many
responsibilities to make elections happen, from processing nomination papers to
convening quasi-adjudicative hearings. Meanwhile, local governments must
navigate the enforcement of political sign regulations, electioneering laws,
and the strict rules governing the use of public funds in referenda.
To help listeners tackle
these issues, Ancel Glink’s Erin Monforti and…
Continue Reading Quorum Forum Podcast Ep. 108: Election Special!

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has published statewide guidance on artificial intelligence use in schools. This guidance provides schools with a toolbox of instructional use rubrics, model policies, and implementation checklists. However, what it does not provide them with is a single, uniform Illinois model policy ready to adopt. 

This guidance was developed in response to Public Act 104-0399, which in 2025 charged the ISBE with “develop[ing] statewide guidance for school districts and educators on the use of artificial intelligence in elementary and secondary education.” 
School districts are directed to model templates and policies that they can

…
Continue Reading ISBE Has Issued 408 Pages of AI Guidance: What School Districts Need to Know