On July 4, 2016, the Urbana police arrested Bryton Mellott for burning the American flag. The day before, Mellott had posted a picture of himself burning the flag on Facebook, adding the hashtag #ArrestMe. The post received attention across social media, including some threats directed at Mellott. In a statement to the News-Gazette, the Urbana police said that because some of the threatening comments mentioned Mellott's employer, Mellott was taken into custody for his own protection and that of others (see http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-07-05/update-urbana-flag-burner-wont-be-charged.html). The decision was made to arrest him under Illinois's flag desecration statute (720 ILCS 5/49-1). But flag burning is protected speech under the First Amendment. In Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), the Supreme Court held that Texas' similar flag desecration law was an unconstitutional prior restraint on speech, albeit potentially unpopular speech.

Join the Society of American Law Teachers and the John Marshall Law School for Breaking In and Staying In Legal Academia.  Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016 │ 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. │ Reception to Follow The John Marshall Law School 315 S. Plymouth Court  Chicago, Illinois 60604 Event: Room 409 | Reception: 3 East

As any solo or small firm lawyer can attest, there are two parts to running a practice: the client part and the practice management part. Paying more attention to one part over the other creates an imbalance that can cost you a reference, ruin your reputation, or worse, land you in hot-water. Join us in Springfield for this full day seminar on September 30, 2016 that offers you the information and advice you need to successfully run the practice management part of your career, including: what you need to know to use technology in the litigation environment; how to manage the life of your practice from start to finish; how to avoid buying new software by using what you already have; whether or not practice management software is right for you; how to ensure the success of your practice through regular maintenance; how to deal with the stresses of the profession; how to keep good clients and avoid bad ones; how to successfully use Excel, Adobe, and geographical information systems in your practice; how to handle the intergenerational workplace; and much more!

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Stephanie Saltouros to the 10th Subcircuit vacancy created by the recent elevation of Judge Eileen O'Neill Burke to the Illinois Appellate Court. The appointment is effective September 29 and terminates on December 3, 2018.