Ann Maher News
Six candidates seeking two seats on Wood River Council; Plank vows more transparency
Six candidates are vying for two seats on the Wood River City Council in the upcoming April 6 municipal election.
Bill that would increase interest on civil court judgments on Governor's desk; ICJL and ATRA urge veto
Civil justice reform groups say that if Governor J.B. Pritzker signs into law a bill that increases the amount of interest successful personal injury plaintiffs can collect, it could increase the cost of doing business and owning a home or car in Illinois.
Shutting out Republicans from Associate Bench was 'slap in the face to voters,' Judiciary Chair says
Madison County Board member Mike Walters, a Republican from Godfrey and chair of the county’s Judiciary Committee, reacted harshly to last week’s selection of two new associate judges, calling it “unacceptable” that Republicans were shut out of consideration.
Illinois House passes bill increasing pre-judgment interest for personal injury plaintiffs
House Bill 3360, sponsored by Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville) and Rep. Marcus Evans, Jr. (D-Chicago), would lengthen the pre-judgment interest accrual period to when an alleged wrongdoer has notice of the injury versus when a plaintiff files suit.
Vaughan sworn in at Fifth District; Vacancies announced with Bleyer retirement, Boie election
Barry Vaughan was sworn-in at the Fifth District Appellate Court in Mount Vernon on Monday to serve by appointment of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Air monitoring for five Illinois cities to be considered by lawmakers at JCAR hearing
Illinois lawmakers will consider a requirement that ambient air in or around five cities be monitored for ethylene oxide levels during a meeting of the the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) Tuesday morning.
Stobbs sworn in to at-large circuit court seat, filling vacancy of retired judge Matoesian
Stephen Stobbs was sworn in as at-large judge of the Third Judicial Circuit - covering Madison and Bond counties - on Saturday, Dec. 5 by Associate Judge Tom Chapman.
Illinois courts named to ATRA's 'Judicial Hellhole' report; BIPA, asbestos and legislature's zeal for lawsuit innovation are factors
Madison, St. Clair and Cook counties have collectively been ranked No. 8 "Judicial Hellholes," as part of the American Tort Reform Association's annual ranking of the most "unjust" court systems in the country, down one spot from 2019.
Gibbons asks AG Raoul to look into emails circulated among Madison County officials
Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons has asked the state Attorney General to determine if a batch of political emails that circulated among officials on the county's email system constitutes criminal activity.
Threlkeld appointed to Dugan vacancy; Seat will be on '22 ballot
Judge Christopher P. Threlkeld has been appointed to the David Dugan vacancy in Madison County Circuit Court, at the recommendation of retiring Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier.
Edwardsville buildings spray painted with BLM; Courthouse, township building and park's bandstand hit
Edwardsville police are investigating graffiti damage to three public buildings discovered first at the courthouse at 4:25 a.m. on Friday.
Pritzker's 'fair tax' proposal goes down in flames in Metro-East; Also falls short statewide
After having spent $56 million of his own money on a “Vote Yes” campaign, Gov. JB Pritzker's progressive income tax proposal appears to have failed, according to several media sources reporting on more than 90 percent of Illinois votes counted.
Republican Elik flips 111th House seat in 10-point win over incumbent Democrat Bristow
By a 10-point margin, Republican Amy Elik of Alton has defeated Democrat incumbent Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Alton) for the 111th House District.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Kilbride falls 5 points short of retention; First time voters deny a return
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride has lost a high-stakes and costly retention battle in the state’s Third Appellate District. It is the first time that voters have not retained a justice to the state's high court.
Overstreet defeats Cates by 26-point margin for Illinois Supreme Court
Things turned sharply negative in mid-October when Cates blasted Overstreet for his concurrence in an opinion giving a second trial to a child rapist suspect convicted in absentia by a Marion County judge in 2017.
Early votes in Peoria County show Kilbride at 59.5% voter approval
Early and absentee votes counted in Peoria County show that Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride is just barely below the 60 percent voter approval margin needed to be retained to a third 10-year term.
TV ad running in southern Illinois 'disgustingly false,' Overstreet campaign demands station remove
A law firm representing the Overstreet 2020 campaign has asked a southern Illinois TV station to stop running a trial-lawyer sponsored ad it says is "disgustingly false."
Daiber says he'll save taxpayers money by cutting his salary, benefits and other positions; Prenzler says his ideas 'make no sense'
In the final days of campaign 2020, the race for Madison County chairmanship has candidates sharpening contrasts and reiterating their positions.
ICJL issues ratings in judicial and retention contests; Shines light on 'massive sums' spent by trial lawyers for SupCo
The Illinois Civil Justice League (ICJL) says it’s hard to ignore the “massive sums” of money being spent by trial lawyers to win two important state Supreme Court elections.They include a southern Illinois race between Republican David Overstreet and Democrat Judy Cates – who both serve as justices at the Fifth District Appellate Court.
Madison County may take up 'double-dipping' ordinance after voters weigh in on advisory referendum
Madison County board members will take a cue from voters when they decide whether county officials and employees should be allowed to "double dip," that is, to draw a pension from a previous position while also earning a salary in a subsequent one.