ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ

Illinois

  • August 01, 2025

    1st Circ. Doubtful Of Trump's Stance On Birthright Citizenship

    The First Circuit on Friday seemed inclined to say that the children of unauthorized immigrants are citizens if they were born on U.S. soil, citing both the 14th Amendment and a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court ruling and pushing back on an argument by President Donald Trump's administration.

  • August 01, 2025

    Mich. Cos. Can't Get Atty Fees In Withdrawal Liability Dispute

    A Michigan furniture manufacturer and its shipping partner cannot get interest and attorney fees in a dispute with a Teamsters-affiliated pension fund, an Illinois federal judge ruled, finding the fund's bid to increase the amount of money the companies owed was not made in bad faith.

  • August 01, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Prison Warden's Firing Over Facebook Memes

    The Seventh Circuit has refused to revive a deputy prison warden's suit claiming he was terminated in retaliation for sharing memes online denigrating Muslims, Black people, liberals and the LGBTQ community and calling the Confederate flag "our flag," saying the corrections department's interest as a public employer outweighs his speech interests.

  • August 01, 2025

    Ill. Court Finds Labor Board Erred In Supervisor Status Case

    An Illinois appeals court has reversed a state labor panel's decision adding workers at Illinois State University to an existing bargaining unit represented by an American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees council, saying the panel ignored precedent on which workers are union-ineligible supervisors. 

  • August 01, 2025

    Feds Won't Retry Madigan Co-Defendant After Mistrial

    Prosecutors asked an Illinois federal judge on Friday to dismiss charges against ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's longtime confidant Michael McClain after a jury was unable to reach a decision on the counts against McClain when the pair were tried together.

  • August 01, 2025

    NY Bill Could Reshape Juvenile Investigations, If It Works

    A bill that would keep minors out of police interrogation rooms until they've spoken with an attorney is one step closer to becoming law in New York after passing in the state Assembly, in what could be a chance to transform how juvenile crimes are investigated.

  • July 31, 2025

    State Regulators Push FERC To Nix $22B Grid Projects Plan

    Several state utility regulators have urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject a regional grid operator's $21.8 billion transmission development plan, saying the plan's benefits are overstated and wrongly forces them to subsidize the clean energy goals of other states.

  • July 31, 2025

    7th Circ. Says Chemical Co. OK To Stop Paying Union Fund

    A chemical distributor was allowed to stop paying into a Teamsters pension fund in 2021, and an Illinois federal judge was wrong to conclude otherwise, the Seventh Circuit said Thursday, reversing a ruling that ordered the company to pay the fund over $365,000.

  • July 31, 2025

    Tyson Says Interference Claim 'Lays Bare' Burford's Greed

    Tyson Foods urged an Illinois federal judge on Thursday to reject Burford Capital's bid to ditch allegations that the litigation funder improperly thwarted a near-final price-fixing settlement with Sysco Corp., arguing the counterclaim "lays bare" Burford's systematic effort to obtain a greater investment return.

  • July 31, 2025

    Robotic Surgery Co.'s Antitrust Appeal Backed At 9th Circ.

    Surgical Instrument Service Co. Inc. has received backing at the Ninth Circuit from a trade association and others groups as it looks to revive its case accusing Intuitive Surgical Inc. of blocking third parties from refurbishing components for its popular da Vinci surgery robot.

  • July 31, 2025

    Insurer Avoids Businesses' COVID-19 Coverage Claims

    A property insurer for numerous restaurants, bars and other small businesses owes no coverage for their consolidated business interruption claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic, an Illinois federal court ruled, looking to the laws of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Tennessee.

  • July 31, 2025

    Vistra Pays $38M To End FERC Market Manipulation Case

    Vistra Corp. has agreed to pay $38 million to end long-running Federal Energy Regulatory Commission litigation alleging that affiliate Dynegy Inc. manipulated electricity capacity auction rules in 2015, which led to consumers being unjustly overcharged.

  • July 31, 2025

    ABA Seeks To Toss Race Bias Suit Over Scholarship Program

    The American Bar Association urged an Illinois federal court to throw out a lawsuit from The American Alliance for Equal Rights alleging the association's Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund constitutes race-based discrimination, arguing that the claims are simply a "'desire to vindicate' a particular 'view of the law.'"

  • July 31, 2025

    Judge Questions Gov't Objection To Shielding FEMA Funds

    A Massachusetts federal judge Thursday questioned the Trump administration's assertion that it has not redirected funds allocated by Congress for natural disaster mitigation efforts toward other Federal Emergency Management Agency programs, even as the government was objecting to states' narrow request to protect the funds for now.

  • July 31, 2025

    Immigration Board Raises Bar To Fight State Drug Convictions

    The Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that an individual fighting removal after being convicted on state drug charges has the burden of proving the law they were convicted under is broader than federal law to avoid deportation.

  • July 31, 2025

    Ill. Jury Convicts Forex Trader In $230K Fraud Scheme

    A Chicago federal jury on Thursday convicted an Illinois man of duping investors with promises to deliver considerable profits by trading their money on the foreign exchange market, when he really spent most of their investments on himself and was barred from trading securities in the state.

  • July 31, 2025

    Mercedes-Benz Can't Escape All Of Wood Veneer Crack Suit

    A Georgia federal judge won't dismiss the bulk of a proposed class action alleging that Mercedes-Benz Group AG sold vehicles with defective wooden trim veneer that cracked after extended use, leaving 11 of the 18 counts in the amended complaint alive.

  • July 30, 2025

    Hytera Ordered To Immediately Escrow Subsidiary Sale Funds

    Hytera Communications Corp. Ltd. must immediately place $69 million of proceeds of a subsidiary sale in escrow in light of the Chinese company's outstanding judgment and asset citation obligations in Motorola Solutions Inc.'s mobile radio trade theft case, an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday.

  • July 30, 2025

    State Farm Ordered To Pay $54.6M Over Vehicle Valuations

    State Farm must pay more than $54.6 million across two class actions for underpaying the value of totaled vehicles via a "typical negotiation" deduction, a Washington federal court ruled, noting the plaintiffs provided "undisputed" evidence that State Farm violated the state's Consumer Protection Act.

  • July 30, 2025

    8th Circ. Tosses Ruling Striking Binding NEPA Regulations

    The Eighth Circuit has granted blue states' bid to vacate a ruling that faulted the White House Council on Environmental Quality for issuing binding regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act, following the Trump administration's decision to withdraw those regulations.

  • July 30, 2025

    Ill. Forex Trader Spent Investors' Money On Himself, Jury Told

    An Illinois man fraudulently obtained at least $230,000 from investors with promises to return or even double their investments by trading on the foreign exchange market, but instead spent most of their money on personal expenses like designer clothes, restaurant meals, gym membership fees and credit card bills, prosecutors told a Chicago federal jury Wednesday.

  • July 30, 2025

    Justices Urged To OK Bankruptcy Courts As Tax Debt Venues

    Bankruptcy courts are authorized to decide the amount and legality of nondischargeable tax claims, an Indiana couple told the U.S. Supreme Court in a bid to overturn a Seventh Circuit ruling to the contrary.

  • July 30, 2025

    GTCR Denied Rival's Old Sales Prospects Data In FTC Case

    An Illinois federal judge refused Tuesday to force a rival medical device coatings company to cough up old sales projections data so private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings can defend against a Federal Trade Commission challenge to its $627 million purchase of Surmodics.

  • July 30, 2025

    Black Atty Alleges McDermott Fired Her Because Of Her Race

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP failed to address racist comments made during a diversity presentation, kept Black attorneys out of leadership and fired a Black associate who complained that she was repeatedly sidelined because of her race, the former employee alleged Wednesday in Illinois federal court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Trump Official Denies Shutting Down FEMA Disaster Program

    The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told a Massachusetts federal judge that President Donald Trump's administration has not decided whether to end the agency's flagship natural disaster protection program, despite a lawsuit by 20 states claiming it had been shut down.

Expert Analysis

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

    Author Photo

    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • Series

    Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

    Author Photo

    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

    Author Photo

    The first quarter of 2025 was filled with the refinement of old theories in the property and casualty space, including in vehicle valuation, time to seek appraisal and materials depreciation, says Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing

    Author Photo

    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

    Author Photo

    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

    Author Photo

    With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

    Author Photo

    Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

  • Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

    Author Photo

    Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • Series

    Volunteer Firefighting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    While practicing corporate law and firefighting may appear incongruous, the latter benefits my legal career by reminding me of the importance of humility, perspective and education, says Nicholas Passaro at Ford.

  • Influencer Campaign Lawsuits Signal New Endorsement Risks

    Author Photo

    Recent class actions allege that companies' influencer campaigns violate the Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides and various state laws, but it's not clear whether the failure to comply can sustain these lawsuits, or whether the plaintiffs' creative theory of damages will hold up to scrutiny, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols

    Author Photo

    Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

    Author Photo

    Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

    Author Photo

    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Illinois archive.