Criminal Law

Senate Bill 2488

Topic: 
Cell phones in construction and school zones
(Garrett, D-Lake Forest; May, D-Highland Park) allows a driver in a construction or school zone to use a cell phone in voice-operated (instead of “voice-activated”) mode or by pressing a single button to initiate or terminate a voice communication. This also includes using a headset in this manner. The drop date for the Governor to take action is August 5, 2012. If he signs it the bill will take effect January 1, 2013.

House Bill 5922

Topic: 
Domestic violence form
(Cunningham, D-Chicago; Kotowski, D-Park Ridge) allows a statutory short-form notification to be used to serve on respondents in the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, the Stalking No Contact Order Act, and the Civil No Contact Order Act. Passed both chambers.

House Bill 4636

Topic: 
order of protection
(McAsey, D-Lockport; Mulroe, D-Chicago) makes it a Class 4 felony to violate an order of protection if the defendant had been convicted in another state of domestic battery or certain crimes of violence or been the subject of an out-of-state order of protection. Also makes the actions of a defendant who directed the actions of a third party to violate this Section accountable as if those actions had been personally done by the defendant without regard to the mental state of the third party. Passed both chambers.

House Bill 5877

Topic: 
Judicial Privacy Act
(Madigan, D-Chicago; Cullerton, D-Chicago) creates the Judicial Privacy Act that allows a judge to prohibit a government agency or business from publishing “personal information” about a judge. It requires that the judge make a written request to the agency or business to trigger this protection. Passed both chambers.

Senate Bill 2537

Topic: 
Failing to report death or disappearance of a child
(Silverstein, D-Chicago; Franks, D-Marengo) requires a parent, legal guardian, or caretaker to report the disappearance or death of a child under the age of 13 within 24 hours of knowing or when should have known that the child is missing or deceased. If the child is less than two years old, the reporting requirement is within one hour. Passed both chambers.

U.S. v. Psihos

Federal 7th Circuit Court
Criminal Court
Sentencing
Citation
Case Number: 
No. 11-2683
Decision Date: 
June 15, 2012
Federal District: 
N.D. Ill., E. Div.
Holding: 
Affirmed
Dist. Ct. did not err in sentencing defendant to 24-month term of incarceration on charge of making false statements on his tax return after finding that loss to IRS arising out of defendant’s under-reporting of his restaurant’s receipts was $837,724. While defendant argued that said loss should have been reduced by cash payments made by defendant for operating expenses of restaurant, Dist. Ct. could properly ignore said claimed expenses where defendant had failed to produce any invoices supporting said cash payments, and where, under Chavin, 316 F.3d 666, said “unclaimed deductions” had no relevance in tax loss calculation. Moreover, Dist. Ct. also did not clearly err in imposing $837,724 restitution order based on tax loss calculation where defendant had failed to produce contemporaneous documentation of his alleged cash payments made on behalf of restaurant.

People v. Somers

Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Sentencing
Citation
Case Number: 
2012 IL App (4th) 110180
Decision Date: 
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
District: 
4th Dist.
Division/County: 
Livingston Co.
Holding: 
Affirmed in part and vacated in part; remanded.
Justice: 
TURNER
Defendant, then age 19, pled guilty to drug offenses. Court's sentences were within relevant sentencing ranges and within court's discretion; court properly considered poor rehabilitative potential and need for deterrence as outweighing mitigating factors. Court, and not circuit clerk, imposed public-defender fee, and ordered fee at sentencing hearing. Court indicated its intent to order reimbursement within applicable time frame, and thus remand was appropriate. (APPLETON and POPE, concurring.)