U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
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Supreme Court won't step in - yet - to overturn Illinois 'assault weapons' ban
The U.S. Supreme Court denied petitions from Illinois gun owners to review a Chicago federal appeals court's decision allowing Illinois' controversial gun ban law to take effect. Justice Clarence Thomas, however, called that decision 'nonsensical,' and warned the Illinois law will ultimately face a difficult reception at the high court -
Cook Co 'assault weapons' ban not constitutional, even under prior appeals court ruling upholding IL gun ban: Filing
Second Amendment rights advocates urged the Seventh Circuit Appeals Court to strike down Cook County's "assault weapons" ban ordinance and overrule their colleagues, saying the ordinance and the decision violate the Constitution and clash with two Supreme Court rulings -
SCOTUS to decide soon whether to review IL 'assault weapons' ban
Allowing the 'absurd' legal reasoning to stand that was used by lower courts to uphold Illinois' law would undermine SCOTUS decisions and essentially empower states to ban all manner of guns, challengers said, urging the high court to take their appeals -
Seventh Circuit: Rudolf didn't bind federal courts to $2 million judgment against insurer; Suit alleges improper cleaning caused patient's infection
CHICAGO - St. Clair County Circuit Judge Heinz Rudolf did not bind federal courts when he entered judgment for $2,080,585.95 against an insurer nobody sued, Seventh Circuit appellate judges ruled on April 24. -
Seventh Circuit rejects challenge to Corps of Engineers' plans to manage Middle Mississippi River
The Army Corps of Engineers’ ongoing plan to manage the Middle Mississippi River region received a green light from a federal appeals court on Aug. 1 when the court rejected environmental group's concerns about issues such as flooding and wildlife threats. -
Seventh Circuit: Illinois man's claims against village's land grab can go forward
A federal appeals court has resuscitated an Illinois man’s lawsuit against the Village of Ashmore that alleged authorities forced him and his family out of a home located on land the village wanted for a municipal park. -
Seventh Circuit reverses dismissal of students' lawsuit against McKendree University over Covid closures
CHICAGO – U.S. Seventh Circuit appellate judges revived a class action complaint claiming McKendree University breached its contract with students by teaching remotely in 2020. -
Seventh Circuit hears arguments on controversial assault weapon, magazine ban
A panel of judges with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on Illinois’ controversial assault weapon ban Thursday, challenging the state’s justification for the ban and the plaintiffs’ reliance on “in common use.” -
Seventh Circuit affirms ruling requiring insurer to defend privacy invasion suit
CHICAGO – Citizens Insurance Company of America must defend a privacy invasion suit against a business that sold a facial recognition database to Chicago for police purposes, U. S. Seventh Circuit appellate judges ruled on June 15. -
Appeals court: Lawsuit can resume challenging constitutionality of feds' across-the-board ban on gun ownership by felons
A divided appeals panel says a Supreme Court ruling means lower courts can't simply agree with governments that they have the authority under the Second Amendment to categorically deny gun ownership rights to those convicted of felonies, or other "dangerous" people -
SCOTUS won't step into IL 'assault weapons' ban fight, for now
Illinois' ban on so-called 'assault weapons' will remain in place, likely through much of the summer, as the Supreme Court turned aside a long-shot bid for an emergency injunction blocking enforcement of the law while a federal appeals court and the Illinois Supreme Court consider constitutional challenges to the gun ban -
Seventh Circuit affirms dismissal of class action alleging privacy violations through Blackstone's purchase of Ancestry.com
CHICAGO – U.S. District Judge David Dugan correctly dismissed a class action claim that Blackstone Inc. violated privacy of genetic testing data when it bought Ancestry.com, Seventh Circuit appellate judges ruled on May 1. -
Appeals court reinstates IL 'assault weapons' ban, for now; Invites challenger response
A federal appeals court judge in Chicago has put a hold on a southern Illinois federal judge's injunction blocking enforcement of the new Illinois gun ban. The appeals court judge will allow challengers to argue why prior appellate decisions allowing "assault weapons" bans may no longer apply under U.S. Supreme Court rulings -
S. IL fed judge says IL 'assault weapons' ban likely violates Second Amendment, puts enforcement on hold
The judge said the state has fallen far short of proving the banned weapons are not only 'dangerous,' but also 'unusual,' which he said is the correct standard for evaluating gun bans under recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions -
Battle over IL gun ban expanding, setting stage for big showdown to come before Chicago fed appeals court
Lawyers for gun makers' trade group, the National Sports Shooting Foundation, and others have filed briefs seeking to undo a Chicago federal judge's order largely upholding the Illinois "assault weapons" ban, saying the reasoning doesn't hold up under the U.S. Supreme Court's recent rulings -
Seventh Circuit reverses verdict in forklift injury trial over excluded witness testimony
CHICAGO – U. S. Seventh Circuit appellate judges reversed a jury verdict in a forklift accident trial on Feb. 1, finding District Judge Stephen McGlynn improperly excluded an expert’s opinion that forklifts need doors. -
White ex-city worker, passed over for promotion, can resume racial discrimination suit vs city of Springfield
An appeals panel says conflicting explanations from Springfield city officials raise many questions over whether they only wanted to promote a Black person to reflect the city's commitment to "reflect the city's demographics." -
'Not out of the woods': New CDC guidelines recognize natural Covid immunity, but vax mandates remain hard to defeat
Vaccine mandate opponents say they intend to use new CDC guidelines to continue efforts to persuade judges to force officials to prove public health mandates that infringe rights actually produce the stated desired results -
Appeals panel: Natural immunity proof not enough to defeat Covid vax job mandates; Don't violate 'fundamental rights'
The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals says Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot have a 'low bar' to clear in defending their mandates that force government workers to choose between taking the vaccine and keeping their jobs because the orders don't infringe fundamental rights -
Appeals court says Pritzker administration can escape fed court oversight of state hiring decisions
The appeals panel said it is 'not naive' about Illinois' history of corruption, and that courts remain open to future lawsuits, if patronage hiring resumes. But they said federal court oversight of state hiring decisions cannot continue indefinitely.