Inmates with Serious Medical Needs Remain Imprisoned at High Levels in Illinois 2022 Reform Has Limited Impact on Aging Population in Illinois Prisons In 2022 Governor Pritzker signed the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act, which was a bill designed to allow the Prisoner...
Felonies
Practical Limitations on Illinois Expungements
Individuals Seeking Expungement in Illinois Face Roadblocks In Illinois, there is a legal process that allows individuals that have been accused/convicted of certain crimes to have their records formally sealed or expunged from their criminal record, depending on the...
Federal Court Rules Felon In Possession of Gun Law Unconstitutional
District Court Dismisses Indictment in Potentially Landmark Ruling A federal district court judge, the Honorable Carlton Reeves, in the Southern District of Mississippi dismissed an indictment against a man charged with being a felon in possession of a gun in...
Can the Odor of Marijuana Justify a Police Search? It Depends on the State
Wisconsin Court Rules Marijuana Scent Alone Warrants Police Search Recently the Wisconsin Supreme Court narrowly ruled that police officers were justified in conducting a search of a vehicle based on the purported smell of marijuana, overturning a lower courts ruling....
Police investigations and social media: 3 things to know
Social media helps us connect with loved ones and friends; it can even play a role in our professional lives. There are certain things we share online that we expect will remain within our friend groups — but is this expectation reasonable? This is a question that...
The federal government is attacking COVID-relief fraud aggressively
Although most of the panic around the COVI-19 pandemic has subsided, some issues continue to linger. One remaining effect of the pandemic has been the ongoing targeting and prosecution of fraud stemming from federal relief programs for American businesses. If you were...
Understanding the new felony murder rule in Illinois
The law is changing all the time. It is no small task keeping up with the changes that occur in every area of law from one year to the next. Illinois lawmakers have drafted nearly 300 new laws and changes to existing legislation, according to NBC Chicago online. These...
When is a straw weapons purchase a felony?
Purchasing weapons for people who are not authorized to own them can have dangerous consequences. Currently, a Chicago woman faces charges related to purchasing guns for people not permitted to have them, and prosecutions are happening at the federal level all over...
Should the Supreme Court revisit whether felons can have firearms?
A felony conviction can carry more penalties than prison time and fines. While the prison time will end, consequences like losing the right to carry a firearm can last forever. This week, rapper Lil Wayne was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon....
Chicago man charged in $50,000 diamond theft
If you drive just north of Cook County, you will find Lake County and Gurnee. According to news reports, a Chicago man was recently arrested there and charged for his alleged involvement in the theft of $50,000 worth of diamonds.Law enforcement officials said the...