Justice Sanjay T. Tailor of the Supreme Court of Illinois has announced the formation of a standing Judicial Screening Committee. The Committee has been formed for the purpose of assessing the qualifications of those who apply for appointment to vacancies in the Supreme Court’s First District - Cook County.

From: 
The Bar News

Justice Sanjay T. Tailor Announces Formation of Judicial Screening Committee

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Marybeth Stanziola

Justice Sanjay T. Tailor of the Supreme Court of Illinois has announced the formation of a standing Judicial Screening Committee (Committee). The Committee has been formed for the purpose of assessing the qualifications of those who apply for appointment to vacancies in the Supreme Court’s First District - Cook County.

Under the Illinois Constitution, judicial vacancies on the Circuit and Appellate Courts are filled on an interim basis by Supreme Court appointment. Appointed individuals then must run in the next election to maintain the seat.

Cloak and Scalpel

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Marybeth Stanziola

In his July Illinois Bar Journal article, "Cloak and Scalpel," past ISBA President Russell Hartigan recounts when a client in the medical field asked him how the law distinguishes a hospital physician from a doctor who works at the hospital as an independent contractor. The question led Hartigan on a search for the answer, which he found was more nuanced than people might assume and led to the writing of this article, which includes a checklist that may be helpful to any party in hospital cases involving independent contractors.

Saying to find otherwise would leave him with no option other than to allow the justices of the Illinois Supreme Court — the very people he is suing ­— to control the fate of his case, a former Cook County judge has asked a federal appeals court to carve a path forward in federal court for his claims that Illinois' top state court judges trampled his personal and professional rights by abruptly ousting him for supporting President Donald Trump.

From: 
Legal Newsline

The law requires law enforcement to tell survivors they can request to be interviewed by an officer of their sex or gender. It also states police should inform survivors they can have a support person with them during the interview.

From: 
WAND

On Friday, Judge David W. Dugan ruled Illinois’ RISE Act and DREAM Act policies as “unconstitutional and invalid” as applied to undocumented students. Dugan ruled that the policies violate federal law by providing residency-based college benefits to undocumented students while not extending the same benefits to all U.S. citizens who live outside the state.

From: 
WCIA

New “mega master” hearings that began in Chicago in May are calling as many as 185 immigrants to a single small courtroom. Many immigrants, fearful and unable to find a lawyer on short notice, are missing critical court dates.

From: 
WBEZ

Financial documents that could alert communities to which hospitals are at risk of closing will be kept confidential under a new state law enacted by Gov. JB Pritzker. The move comes as doctors fear more hospitals could close next year.

From: 
Chicago Sun-Times

Community Justice Workers: A New Model for Access to Justice in Illinois

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Marybeth Stanziola
Community Justice Workers: A New Model for Access to Justice in Illinois
 
Live Webcast
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
12:00 – 1:05 p.m.
 
1.0 hour MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professionalism, Civility, Legal Ethics, or Sexual Harassment Prevention credit (subject to approval)
 

The man serving life in prison without parole for the 1987 murder and rape of 10-year-old Amy Schulz has had another appeal denied seeking a third trial.

From: 
WJBD