Jonathan Bilyk News
Pritzker fighting to lift federal monitoring for political patronage hiring, system used by Madigan to boost power
Even as he talked with investigators in the federal prosecution that led to the indictment of former House Speaker Michael Madigan, Gov. JB Pritzker has been fighting to lift federal oversight of state hiring practices, a system exploited by Madigan to cement his grip on power statewide
Former House Speaker, IL Dems chair Madigan indicted on racketeering, bribery charges
Federal prosecutors allege Michael J. Madigan, who for 40 years led Illinois Democrats and ruled over much of Springfield and Chicago politics, was the leader of a criminal racketeering enterprise, beginning at least 10 years ago.
IL Supreme Court won't consider, for now, whether biometrics lawsuits are limited to two-year personal injury time window
The state high court has rejected a petition to bypass a state appeals court on the question of whether potentially ruinous class actions under the state's biometrics privacy law should be restricted to a two-year, rather than five-year, statute of limitations
Dissent: IL Supreme Court should have decided whether Pritzker broke the law in imposing school COVID mandates
Two Republican justices said the state high court's Democratic majority had erred in passing on the chance to determine whether a Springfield judge had properly blocked Gov. JB Pritzker from enforcing his school mask, testing and exclusion rules
IL Supreme Court denies Pritzker appeal over school mask mandates as moot, vacates restraining order
Gov. JB Pritzker warned he may attempt to impose mask mandates again in the future, if he believes they are needed
Pritzker asks IL Supreme Court to restore his power to force school students to mask, test, be excluded, over COVID
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says only the Illinois Supreme Court can "halt mischief," as school districts statewide ditch forced masking, testing and student exclusion policies that a Springfield judge says were illegal
DeVore to run for Attorney General: Lawyer who has repeatedly challenged Pritzker's COVID powers announces candidacy
Downstate lawyer Tom DeVore, who led the case that secured a court order blocking Pritzker's school mask mandates, says he will seek to challenge Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who he said has acted as Pritzker's "personal attorney" rather than "the people's legal counsel"
IL Supreme Court may be next stop for Pritzker's continued fight to reimpose school mask rules, other COVID mandates
Gov. JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul each promised to ask the Illinois Supreme Court to undo lower court rulings declaring Pritzker's COVID school rules to be non-existent, null, void
'No actual controversy': Pritzker appeal of COVID school mandates TRO dismissed
Appellate justices declined to step in, saying a decision by a committee of state lawmakers to not allow Gov. JB Pritzker to renew his school mask mandate and other COVID-related school rules means the state, at this time, has no rules to enforce, and the Springfield judge has no rules to restrain
Attorneys: Appeals court still must rule on Springfield judge's ruling, despite JCAR rejection of Pritzker's COVID school rules
Tuesday, a committee of Illinois lawmakers refused to allow Gov. JB Pritzker to renew his "emergency" COVID school rules. But a key legal question concerning the limits of Pritzker's powers should be addressed by a state appeals court, said attorneys for Pritzker and those for students and parents
DeVore: Pritzker engaged in 'mental gymnastics' to justify appeal of Grischow TRO vs guv's school COVID orders
Attorney Tom DeVore urged a Springfield appeals court to reject Pritzker's attempt to block enforcement of a restraining order issued by a Springfield judge against his school COVID orders, noting 6 other judges already sided with Judge Grischow's reasoning
Pritzker asks appeals court to slap mask mandates, other COVID restrictions, back onto schools
Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul asked a state appeals court to move quickly to block a Springfield judge's temporary restraining order that voided emergency rules two state agencies used to impose mask mandates and other COVID-related restrictions on schools and students statewide.
Pritzker to ask Springfield judge to keep school COVID mandates in place, pending appeal of order blocking his rules
The Illinois Attorney General, representing Pritzker, said he expects the appeal to be decided within two weeks
Springfield judge slaps hold on IL statewide school mask mandate; Pritzker's powers not 'endless,' judge says
The judge issued a temporary restraining order on Pritzker's authority to force school districts to require students to wear masks and to exclude children suspected of being exposed to COVID from school without due process
IL Supreme Court: Workers comp law doesn't stop big money class actions vs employers over worker fingerprint scans
The high court said workers' claims under the Illinois biometrics privacy law aren't actual workplace injuries, and employers should look elsewhere for relief from the massive potential liability under the biometrics law
Springfield judge to rule soon on request for order barring enforcement of school masks, student COVID 'exclusion'
Plaintiffs say Gov. JB Pritzker and 140 school districts overstepped the state's public health law in issuing statewide COVID mask, testing and student 'exclusion' mandates, unilaterally rewriting state quarantine rules in the process
Pritzker can't toss FoxFire lawsuit over COVID restaurant closure orders
A Springfield judge has again refused Gov. JB Pritzker's attempt to quickly end a lawsuit brought by the owner of Geneva restaurant FoxFire, asserting Pritzker violated the law when he issued indoor dining shutdown orders in 2020
Judges say Dems' partisan power grab in drawing new maps didn't also violate Voting Rights Act
Democrat mapmakers were "motivated by partisan political considerations," a panel of federal judges said, so it doesn't matter that they divided Latino and Black populations up among various districts, rather than maximizing majority minority districts
Foxx, Cook County prosecutors could face possible sanctions for allegedly misleading public about Smollett case
Illinois Supreme Court rules state it is considered “professional misconduct for a lawyer to… engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation"
IL Dems, challengers spar in court over whose map would result in more Latino, Black lawmakers elected
Republicans and Latino and Black advocates told a panel of federal judges that Illinois Democrats drew a new state legislative district map solely to protect Democratic incumbents and boost their party power, stepping on Black and Latino voting rights in the process.