Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today two new temporary orders and one amended order regarding eviction cases and electronic signatures in Illinois courts. The orders were first proposed by the Illinois Judicial Conference Court Operations During COVID-19 Task Force (“Task Force”) to address the anticipated surge of evictions once the moratoria expire and improve access to justice for self-represented litigants.

The deadline to volunteer for the 2021 ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational is March 1.    Volunteer forms are available online.   The program will be held virtually March 12-14 via Zoom. It provides an opportunity for students to learn what it is like to prepare and present a legal case before the Illinois courts. Participating students gain a better understanding of the justice system and improve their knowledge, skills, and ability to articulate in a reasoned, thoughtful manner.  

The Illinois Supreme Court issued two opinions on Friday, February 19. In People v. Jackson, the Supreme Court upheld an appellate court’s decision to deny a defendant leave to file a successive postconviction petition. In People v. Birge, the Supreme Court held that a circuit court judge did not err in reciting all four of the Rule 431(b) principles together to a group of prospective jurors, and the Supreme Court also vacated the defendant’s restitution order and remanded the matter for a new hearing to determine the proper amount of restitution.

America’s fight against its invisible opponent, COVID-19, is ongoing. In response to COVID-19, communities, state, and local officials continue to issue, extend, and modify emergency orders to stop the spread. These authorities are exercised in a variety of measures, including mask mandates and stay-at-home orders. These orders, often incorporating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, include such terms and phrases as “quarantine,” “social distancing,” “six feet apart,” and “work from home.” In her February Illinois Bar Journal article, “Liberties and Lockdowns,” Deanna Shahnami  examines how Illinois courts and the Seventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals have slowly established precedent for injunctive relief and how they have weighed executive emergency orders responding to COVID-19 against First Amendment rights. Shahnami’s article is this year’s Illinois Bar Journal Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest winner.