A police officer driving on the highway sees a driver honking his horn and playing his car stereo loudly, both of which are possible traffic infractions. The police officer followed the driver's car, switching on the flashing lights. A few seconds later, the driver pulled into his driveway and entered his garage. The police officer parked and exited his car, then stuck his foot underneath the garage door to stop it from closing. The police officer did not have a...

A Pennsylvania teenager who did not make the varsity cheer team wrote a message on Snapchat, a social media site, that said “F--- school, f----softball, f--- cheer, f---everything.” As a result, her coach suspended her from the cheerleading program for one year. She brought a lawsuit against the school, claiming that the school does not have the authority to regulate her speech outside of school on the internet. The Supreme Court

Part of the reasons child care costs have increased involves the loss of child care jobs. One in six child care jobs were lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in child care costs makes it difficult for Illinois parents. If you receive child support and you are responsible for paying for child care costs, you may find yourself needing to modify your child support agreement to increase the funds you receive. If your child care costs are increasing, you...

Prison and Sentencing Reforms in Illinois’ New Police Reform Law

posted on 7/5/21

Illinois’ new criminal reform law, the SAFE-T Act, was signed into law on February 22, 2021. The controversial law is some of the most sweeping criminal justice reform we have...

When couples get divorced in Illinois, they will divide the marital property they have acquired during the marriage. The marital property includes the accumulated value of the spouses’ retirement assets. When a couple can negotiate their property division, they can agree to a divorce settlement and keep their case out of court. However, when a couple cannot agree, the court will need to step in and decide how the couple's retirement benefits will be divided. Three major types of retirement...

Illinois’ General Assembly passed legislation amending and in some cases reversing the changes in their Police reform legislation. The changes addressed concerns about a sweeping criminal justice reform law that came into effect in 2020. This legislation will amend the SAFE-T Act, which was signed into law in February. The SAFE-T Act required a new police certification system, ended cash bail, imposed body camera mandates, and changed the guidelines for police officers’ use of deadly force. Law enforcement groups across...

Illinois and many other states have seen a considerable increase in police retirement and leaves of absence. Many police officers feel demoralized by defunding the police movement and are concerned about personal liability. Illinois’s new police reform law adds several different types of police misconduct and makes it more difficult for police officers to justify using lethal force to protect citizens and themselves from criminals in the street. Changes to What Constitutes Misconduct Under the new law, law enforcement misconduct...

Police officers across the country have been relocating, retiring and quitting in record numbers. In Chicago, 560 police officers retired, resulting in 15% more police officers retiring than in 2019. In 2019, police retirements were down by nearly 30%. Many police officers have taken a leave of absence and many are considering relocating to states with more police friendly laws or simply quitting their positions in law enforcement. Some police officers have said that the recent riots and demonstrations, including...

The former Minnesota police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck during an arrest was recently convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter. George Floyd’s death brought significant media attention to the use of chokeholds by police officers around the country. As a result, half of the largest police departments in the United States have banned or limited the use of neck restraint since June. Approximately 62% of police departments now explicitly prohibit chokeholds and carotid holds in their policies about...

Going through a divorce can be emotionally trying and confusing for all parties involved. This is especially true of the financial aspects of a divorce, including spousal maintenance calculations. Spousal maintenance, also called spousal support, or alimony, occurs when one spouse must pay the other spouse money on an ongoing basis after a divorce. Family court judges typically order spousal maintenance. However, spousal maintenance can also be agreed upon by the couple in a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. Recent Changes...

Recently, a teenager and a 22-year old were fatally shot by Chicago police officers during foot chases. In the case of the 13-year-old, the Chicago Police Department has stated that bodycam footage shows he was holding a gun in his right hand. As he turned towards the police officer, he raised his empty hand, and the police officer shot him. They later found the gun behind the fence a few feet from where he was killed. Only two days later,...

The question of when police officers can use deadly force has been a significant talking point over the last few years. Many state legislators are pushing for criminal justice reform that makes it more difficult for police officers to use deadly force against suspects. Illinois has taken the lead by passing a comprehensive criminal justice reform law that limits the use of force among police officers. We will discuss what has changed below. The New Law Limits the Use of...

In many marriages, one spouse earns more than the other spouse. As a result, the spouse who earns less comes to rely on the other spouse for financial support to maintain their shared standing of living. When a marriage ends in divorce, it can be difficult for the lower-income spouse to recover financially. Thankfully, Illinois courts often award spousal support, also known as alimony, in these cases. Spousal support is not a permanent solution, however. We will discuss how long...

Illinois is leading the country in addressing police accountability and criminal justice reform. A significant part of Illinois’ new criminal justice reform law involves making police misconduct records more readily available to the public. Illinois must maintain a Professional Conduct Database maintained by the state board responsible for certifying and decertifying police officers. Illinois’ Police Officer Misconduct Database Illinois’ new law makes several changes to the police officer misconduct database. First, the Illinois State Police Merit board will be responsible...

Illinois’ Police Reform Law Changes the Definition of a “Habitual Criminal”

posted on 5/22/21

Illinois recently passed one of the most significant criminal justice reform laws in the country. The law, which is nearly 764 pages long, revamps the entire Illinois pre-trial system. This...