2026 Articles

On Dec. 5, 2025, the First District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that mandatory life sentences are inapplicable to defendants under the age of 21 at the time of the offense.

The General Assembly amended the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code to expand the circumstances in which an employee of a mental health or developmental disability facility must not contact recipients of services during an investigation.

The Illinois General Assembly enacted the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act. The Act will permit a mentally capable adult resident with a terminal disease to request a prescription for self-administered medication that brings about a peaceful death.

On Dec. 2, 2025, the Fourth District of the Illinois Appellate Court held a section 2-1401 petition under the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure requires a movant to allege a meritorious defense and facts showing that the movant exercised due diligence in defending against the original action.

The General Assembly amended the Code of Civil Procedure to prohibit minors, defined as a non-emancipated person under the age of 18, from being named as a defendant in a complaint in an eviction proceeding. 

The General Assembly amended the Workplace Transparency Act to further limit employment contract provisions that restrict employees from reporting unlawful workplace conduct. 

The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s amendments expand language access and revise procedures for administrative hearings involving financial institutions and professional licensing.

The Office of the Treasurer adopted amendments to the Part titled Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act. These amendments require “finders” to be licensed by the office and to charge client fees of less than 10 percent of the collected amount. License applicants must be of good moral character, demonstrate understanding of the Act, pay a $500 initial licensing fee, and pay a $250 renewal fee every three years.

On July 7, 2026, the Third District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that an award of nominal damages was against the manifest weight of the evidence where the plaintiff proved defamation per se involving an accusation that was widely published and caused the plaintiff mental anguish.

The Department of Public Health issued three rulemakings implementing Public Act 103-1069, each aimed at easing the complaint process for residents of skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities, sheltered care facilities, and Illinois veterans homes. 

The General Assembly amended the Illinois Vehicle Code to revise driver’s license renewal, examination, and medical reporting provisions. 

The Illinois General Assembly amended the Fair Patient Billing Act and the Code of Civil Procedure. Under the amended Fair Patient Billing Act, a hospital that pursues legal action against a patient for unpaid medical debt will be prohibited from filing for or obtaining a lien on the patient’s primary residence.

The Department of Public Health adopted amendments to the Illinois Clinical Laboratories Code to clarify who can request specimen examinations from clinical laboratories. 

On April 7, 2026, the First District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that a trial court improperly detained a defendant pending a violation-of-probation hearing where the alleged violation was based solely on a new retail theft charge that was not detainable under the Pretrial Fairness Act.

On March 2, 2026, the Fourth District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that a prior grant of an emergency civil no-contact order is sufficient to make a prima facie showing that a sexual offense was committed in support of a motion to have a civil no-contact petition heard in criminal court under section 112A of the Code of Criminal Procedure.