The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Assembly on June 19 approved a resolution that will create an association-wide program to further support and promote equal justice and full equality for all.

The resolution’s adoption coincides with Juneteenth, an annual celebration observed on June 19 marking the end of slavery in the U.S.

“History is being made today with the adoption of this important resolution,” said ISBA President Dennis J. Orsey. “As the premier bar association in Illinois, the ISBA and its members are uniquely situated to take a leading role in identifying and addressing equal justice issues and ensuring full equity for all."

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down six opinions on Thursday, June 18. In People v. Legoo, the court affirmed a man’s conviction of being a child sex offender in a public park. In People v. Robinson, the court granted a defendant’s leave to file a successive post-conviction petition asserting a claim of actual innocence in a murder trial. In People v. Swenson, the court upheld a man’s conviction for disorderly conduct after he called a school administrator and made extensive comments about shootings and violence during a phone conversation, causing the school to go on lockdown. In People v. Radford, the Supreme Court found that a trial court did not violate a defendant’s right to a public trial by partially closing the courtroom during jury selection and that no error occurred when the jury was instructed.  In City of Chicago v. Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge No. 7, the court ruled that state public information laws require Chicago to preserve decades-old police misconduct records despite a provision in the police union’s collective bargaining agreement. In Hernandez v. Lifeline Ambulance, LLC , the court ruled that section 3.150 of the EMS Act provides no immunity from civil liability to an ambulance owner and its driver where the driver, allegedly speeding, collided with another vehicle en route to pick up a patient for nonemergency transportation.

Dennis J. Orsey, a general practice attorney in Granite City who concentrates his practice in representing downstate police and fire pension funds, was installed today as president of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) at the Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield.

He is the first ISBA president elected from Madison County.

Dennis J. Orsey, a general practice attorney in Granite City who concentrates his practice in representing downstate police and fire pension funds, will be installed as president of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) on June 19 by Justice Lloyd Karmeier at the Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield. Orsey will be the first ISBA president elected from Madison County.

Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Judge Cara LeFevour Smith as an At-Large Cook County Circuit Judge. 

Judge LeFevour Smith was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Kathleen M. McGury on June 1, 2020. The appointment is effective July 1, and will conclude December 4, 2022, following the November 2022 general election. 

In this Quick Takes for Your Practice video, attorney Emily Vivian discusses changing the way you practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this Quick Takes for Your Practice video, attorney Anisa Jordan discusses client communication, generating business, working from home, and practice criminal law during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts have launched an application process for two grant initiatives to begin an expansion of the network of court personnel who assist self-represented litigants (SRLs). The application process for both grant initiatives will open on June 15, 2020 and run through July 15, 2020. 

On May 6, 2020, the Department of Education released new Title IX regulations governing how schools must handle claims of sexual harassment and assault. Join us from 11 a.m. until noon on Friday, June 19 for an online presentation that covers the key aspects of these new regulations and how the regulations impact students and higher education institutions, as viewed from varying perspectives, including an attorney for respondent students, an attorney for colleges and universities, and a retired judge and independent adjudicator. Education law attorneys, family law practitioners, and child law counsel who attend this online seminar will better understand: when and how institutions are required to respond to claims of student-on-student sexual harassment and assault; the procedures institutions must follow when investigating and adjudicating complaints of sexual harassment and assault; and how the new regulations balance the interests of complainants and respondents in sexual misconduct cases.

In her June Illinois Bar Journal Article, “Illinois’ Progressive Prevailing Wage Act,” Kara M. Principe shows why the Act is arguably one of the most progressive prevailing-wage laws in the nation, especially at a time when many states have been acting to repeal similar laws. According to Principe, the most substantial amendments relate to how rates are ascertained and how they are challenged. The amendments also create minority- and local-employment-reporting requirements as well as require new information to be listed on certified payroll records. Principe also explains why penalties for violating the Act are consequential.