2026 Articles

The Illinois General Assembly amended the Illinois School Code to enact the Religious Hair and Facial Hair Protections Act or Jett Hawkins Law. 

The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation adopted amendments to the Part titled Residential Mortgage License Act of 1987. This rulemaking establishes requirements for shared appreciation agreements, which are written agreements or transactions between a person and a consumer in which the consumer receives money or another thing of value in exchange for granting the other party an interest, future interest, or repayment right tied to the consumer’s home or residential real estate. 

On Jan. 7, 2026, the Fourth District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that res judicata generally does not bar timely-filed claims in one lawsuit merely because similar claims in a later lawsuit were dismissed with prejudice as untimely.

On July 2, 2026, the First District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that a retailer who helped load merchandise onto a customer’s vehicle did not assume a duty to secure it, rejecting voluntary undertaking and in-concert theories of liability.

The Department of Labor’s amendments to the Equal Pay in Employment rules implement statutory changes, revise the procedure for filing complaints with the department, and add recordkeeping requirements for employers.

The General Assembly enacted the Self-Administered Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Ban Act, which prohibits the sale, marketing, promotion, advertisement, or other distribution of self-administered sexual assault evidence collection kits.

On March 26, 2026, the Second District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that the state may not make the same recording punishable twice on two different theories under section 11-20.1(a) of the Criminal Code of 2012.

On Dec. 4, 2025, the Illinois Supreme Court held that a 30-day imprisonment sanction is not a sentence under the County Jail Good Behavior Allowance Act and therefore does not entitle defendants to good-conduct credit.

The Illinois General Assembly amended the School Code’s bullying prevention provisions to address digitally created or altered images.

The General Assembly amended the School Code to prohibit schools and law enforcement from issuing monetary fines, fees, tickets, or citations to students for municipal code violations committed on school grounds during school hours or while taking school transportation. 

The General Assembly amended the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to require the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Office of the State Fire Marshal to develop clear, definitive guidelines for developing threat assessment procedures, rapid entry response plans, and cardiac emergency response plans.

On Feb. 27, 2026, the Second District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that the removal and search of a wallet after a pat-down exceeded the scope of a permissible search where the defendant was not armed and dangerous and a pat-down was justified only for the search of weapons.

On Dec. 18, 2025, the Fifth District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that a weapon conviction based on a prior juvenile adjudication did not violate the Second Amendment.

The Illinois Secretary of State adopted amendments to the Persons with Disabilities Parking Program to clarify application requirements for disability plates and for parking placards or devices.

The Office of the Treasurer adopted amendments to the Part titled Secure Choice Savings Program. The rulemaking subjects employers to penalties for failing to remit employee contributions in a timely manner. 

The Department of Revenue adopted amendments to the Part titled Income Tax, expanding the regulatory framework applicable to entities engaged in small consumer lending.

On June 11, 2026, the First District of the Illinois Appellate Court found specific personal jurisdiction over two nonresidents because one sought Illinois court approval concerning trust administration, and the other made electronic payments in Illinois on the judgment debtor’s behalf.

The State Employees’ Retirement System adopted amendments to the Part titled The Administration and Operation of the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) of Illinois. 

The Department of Human Services has amended its rules governing Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigations of alleged abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation in state-operated mental health and developmental disability facilities and community agencies. The amendment adds material obstruction of an investigation as another category of allegation that required reporters must report to the OIG hotline within four hours of discovery. 

On Aug. 25, 2026, the Fourth District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that, in a prosecution for resisting or obstructing a police officer, the state does not have to prove the underlying offense for the arrest, or probable cause for that offense, beyond a reasonable doubt.

On June 10, 2026, the Third District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that section 110-6(f) limits a jail sanction to 30 days regardless of the number of pretrial-release violations alleged in the state’s petition.