Jonathan Bilyk News
IL Inspector General's effort to block access to state hiring reports show IL not ready to lift feds oversight: Court filing
While Gov. JB Pritzker says the state is ready to emerge from federal court oversight of its hiring practices, a new court filing asserts efforts by the Office of the Executive Inspector General to impede court-appointed monitors from seeing certain state hiring reports says otherwise.
Edelson lawsuit: Injury lawyer Girardi, Real Housewives star wife embezzled plane crash settlement money to fund 'lavish' habits
The lawsuit asserts L.A. personal injury lawyer Tom Girardi and his wife, Erika Jayne, of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, of converting settlement funds intended for the families of the victims of the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, to pay for "outrageous" personal spending practices.
Illinois Supreme Court appoints Carter to replace Kilbride, after voters did not retain him
Justice Robert Carter, 74, a LaSalle County Democrat, will serve on the state high court until December 2022, when he will retire and not seek election to a full 10-year term, according to a statement released by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Trial lawyers keep funding Madigan political war chest, despite bribery scandal; $161K donated in September
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who is also chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, has been implicated in a federal bribery investigation. Trial lawyers, however, continue to donate money to Madigan's campaign organization.
IL Supreme Court shuts off class action vs Chicago over 'increased danger' from lead water lines
The Illinois state high court ruled plaintiffs must do more than claim they have an increased risk of harm from lead water service lines to keep their class action against City Hall flowing.
Illinois Supreme Court to hear arguments in-person in 17 cases in new Sept. term
Among other cases, the state Supreme Court will consider whether union members can sue lawyers hired to represent them by their union; whether religious schools can fire whisteblower faculty; and whether cities can use "points" systems to allegedly sidestep state laws forbidding ticket quota systems for cops.
IL Supreme Court: No contempt hearing for Pritzker over COVID orders; Bailey lawsuit transferred to Springfield judge
The Illinois Supreme Court has slapped a hold on an order from a southern Illinois judge, which would have required Gov. JB Pritzker to come to court to argue why he shouldn't be held in contempt for continuing to issue COVID-related orders after that judge ruled he could not.
Judge orders Pritzker to appear in southern IL court to answer contempt petition
Clay County Judge Michael McHaney, the only judge to date to rule against Gov. JB Pritzker's continued use of COVID-19-related emergency powers, has ordered the governor to appear in court on Aug. 14 on a contempt petition from State Rep. Darren Bailey
Appeals panel: Springfield judge shouldn't have tossed taxpayer suit over whether state wrongly borrowed $14 billion
An appeals court in Springfield said the lawsuit raises constitutional questions that are the courts' job to interpret and decide.
State Rep. Bailey asks southern IL judge to hold Pritzker in contempt for continuing to issue COVID orders
Southern Illinois state lawmaker Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, has petitioned a judge in Clay County to hold Gov. JB Pritzker in indirect civil contempt for continuing to issue COVID-19-related emergency orders even after the judge ruled Pritzker couldn't do so.
ComEd hit with class action lawsuits over its role in alleged Madigan bribery, patronage hiring scheme
Northern Illinois' largest electrical utility was hit with two class action lawsuits, demanding it repay its customers perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars for allegedly using a bribery scheme to curry favor with Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to pass laws that allowed it to rack up hundreds of millions of dollars, or more, in profit, since at least 2011.
New lawsuits assert IL COVID disaster not widespread enough to justify further emergency declarations from Pritzker
Attorney Tom DeVore, who has led many legal challenges against Gov. JB Pritzker's use of emergency powers in response to COVID-19, has filed several more asserting the COVID pandemic doesn't qualify as a "public health emergency" under state law.
House Speaker Michael Madigan implicated in ComEd bribery scheme
Federal prosecutors said Madigan, through his associates, demanded "old fashioned patronage" for his associates and allies in exchange for supporting legislation that steered hundreds of millions of dollars from electrical customers to ComEd.
Lawsuit: IHSA doesn't have authority to continuously change 'Return to Play' plan at Pritzker's whim
Southern Illinois lawyer Tom DeVore has sued the IHSA, saying they illegally changed the rules, at the demand of the Pritzker administration, governing how student athletes can return to the playing surfaces this fall for high school sports.
Southern IL judge rules Pritzker overstepped bounds in imposing COVID orders
The ruling hands a win to State Rep. Darrent Bailey, R-Xenia, in his challenge asserting state law does not give Gov. JB Pritzker the power to continue issuing emergency executive orders without authorization from Illinois lawmakers.
Bailey: Pritzker still 'forum shopping' in legal dispute over whether guv's COVID orders overstepped authority
State Rep. Darren Bailey says Gov. JB Pritzker has gone to "great lengths to contrive" legal reasons to avoid allowing a southern Illinois county judge to rule on the question of whether Pritzker had the authority to shut down the state in response to COVID-19.
Pritzker: Rep. Bailey's challenge of guv's COVID power belongs in federal court, despite DOJ opinion otherwise
Gov. JB Pritzker's reply to filings by State Rep. Darren Bailey and the U.S. Justice Department opposing him does not address accusations the governor is "forum shopping" in the dispute over whether the case belongs in federal or southern Illinois county court.
IL Supreme Court: Law requiring county board members to certify work hours to get pensions is unconstitutional
The state high court said county board members only need to comply with the pension rules that were in place when they first were elected, and a state law stating otherwise violates the pensions clause.
Amy Jacobson, AM560 accuse Pritzker of unconstitutionally blocking Jacobson from press conferences over her views
The federal lawsuit asserts Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker used Jacobson's speech at an anti-lockdown rally to justify banning a 'contrarian' journalist who asked difficult questions of the governor.
Pritzker says new COVID church 'guidelines' should thwart SCOTUS showdown; Churches say court should still rule
Attorneys for two Chicago area churches say they will press the U.S. Supreme Court to still declare Gov. JB Pritzker's limits on church worship services unconstitutionally 'trampled' religious freedoms.