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SCQuickTakes_1986591

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys reviews the two Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down Friday, June 24.
People v. Lewis, 2022 IL 126705
By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender

In 2015, Shane Lewis responded to an ad on Backpage.com titled, “young warm and ready.” (A printout of the ad is appended to the Court’s opinion.) The body of the ad indicated that the poster was 18 years old and was a “hot little co ed” who was “young, eager to please and more than willing to meet all your desires.” The ad included a…
Continue Reading Quick Takes on Illinois Supreme Court Opinions Issued Friday, June 24, 2022

SCQuickTakes_1986591

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys reviews the four Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down Thursday, June 16.
Holm v. Kodat, 2022 IL 127511
By Michael T. Reagan, Law Offices of Michael T. Reagan

The Mazon River is 28 miles long, ending in the Illinois River near Morris. It contains and abuts large deposits of fossils. The Court’s opinion by Justice Carter relates that this area is world-famous. It is a National Historic landmark which contains “extraordinary fossils with exceptional preservation.”

Plaintiffs and defendants own separate parcels of property along the river. Plaintiffs operate a fossil hunting business and…
Continue Reading Quick Takes on Illinois Supreme Court Opinions Issued Thursday, June 16, 2022

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The Illinois Supreme Court issued one opinion on Thursday, February 3.
McDonald v Symphony Bronzeville Park, LLC , 2022 IL 126511
By Michael T. Reagan, Law Offices of Michael T. Reagan

“Do the exclusivity provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act (Compensation Act) bar a claim for statutory damages under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (Privacy Act)?” In this Rule 308 appeal, the circuit court of Cook County, the First District, and now the Supreme Court all answered that certified question in the negative. Ms. McDonald sued her employer Symphony Bronzeville Park, LLC, in this putative class action, alleging that…
Continue Reading Quick Take on Illinois Supreme Court Opinion Issued Thursday, February 3, 2022

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The Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee (IJEC), a joint committee of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois Judges Association, has issued a new opinion: 2021-4: Judge’s Use of Photographs with Colleagues for Campaign Purposes.

A candidate-judge may use a photograph taken with non-candidate judicial colleagues for campaign purposes where the photograph was taken at a public event and does not suggest endorsement on the part of the candidate-judge’s colleagues.

The IJEC provide ethics advice to judges and judicial candidates. Among other things, the group issues advisory opinions that answer questions from judges about ethical…
Continue Reading Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee Releases New Opinion: Judge’s Use of Photographs with Colleagues for Campaign Purposes

Illinois Supreme Court News

State courts have increasingly become the default system for addressing the needs of those with behavioral health issues. Commonly cited statistics show that 64 percent of people in local jails suffer from mental illness. The rate of serious mental illness is four to six times higher in jail than in the general population, and the rate of substance use disorders is seven times higher among those in jail than in the general population.

Following up on its recent call to action, the Illinois Supreme Court Mental Health Task Force (Task Force) is hosting a series of judicially led, multidisciplinary Regional…
Continue Reading Supreme Court Mental Health Task Force Leading Change

Illinois Supreme Court News

The Illinois Supreme Court announced the adoption of a policy which will require every state courthouse in Illinois to adopt individual orders or rules regarding the use of portable electronic devices in their courthouse buildings and in their courtrooms.

In adopting this policy, the Court recognizes that portable electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, tablets, and e-book readers are essential tools of today’s society.

Many courthouses already possess policies which address the needs of lawyers, jurors, and other court users and staff to possess portable electronic devices in courthouses yet some bar members of the public and self-represented litigants…
Continue Reading Illinois Supreme Court Announces New Policy on Portable Electronic Devices