U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Recent News About U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
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Judge: Scans of photos can equal facial recognition, may be barred by IL biometrics law; Suit vs Onfido continues
Illinois man alleges Onfido didn't adequately inform about use of photographs, facial scans -
Lawsuit: 'Cartel' of politically connected, wealthy Chicago families, including Pritzkers, dominate IL marijuana market
True Social Equity in Cannabis accuses the Pritzker, Wrigley and Kovler families of using political connections and influence to monopolize the state's regulated marijuana dispensary markets -
Fed hiring monitor asks court to order Pritzker administration give details about IDPH lab tech hires
Hiring monitors, including an Illinois state inspector general and a federal court appointed special master, say the state has refused to divulge more information concerning how a number of unqualified people, including relatives of state workers who held no college degrees and worked at places like ice cream shops and laser tag arenas, were hired as “lab techs” by the Illinois Department of Public Health in 2020 -
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 -
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 -
Federal appeals court agrees: No insurance coverage for income lost by many businesses shut down by Pritzker COVID orders
Cincinnati Insurance argued the COVID virus didn't physically alter the covered buildings, so there should be no coverage, even though the businesses were forced by Gov. JB Pritzker to reduce operations amid the onset of the pandemic -
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. -
Republicans, Latino advocates file proposed map to 'correct constitutional defects' of Dems' state districts
The proposed new map, filed with federal judges, would nearly triple the number of majority Latino state House and Senate districts, compared to plan approved by Democrats and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in September -
Judges: Democrats' June state district maps unconstitutional; New September maps still under review
A panel of federal judges said Democrats' decision to use "population estimates," rather than Census data resulted in unbalanced districts, under a plan rushed through simply to retain firm grip on power -
Judge: COVID gathering limits not likely to return, so IL GOP can't sue Pritzker over earlier shutdowns
Republicans had argued Gov. JB Pritzker's COVID-related limits on the size of political gatherings were unconstitutional, because he selectively enforced them, allowing huge Black Lives Matter protests, while shutting down GOP gatherings in 2020. -
Appeals court: Fired gay music minister can't claim 'hostile work environment' to sue Archdiocese for discrimination
A divided 10-judge en banc panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Appeals Court said the former music minister can't use hostile work environment claims to sidestep the Catholic Church's First Amendment protection in church ministerial employment decisions. -
Appeals panel: 'Stateless' law firm partners means ex-Trump advisor Carter Page can't sue over Steele dossier in federal court
Former Trump 2016 campaign advisor Carter Page can't use federal courts in Chicago, or anywhere, to sue the law firm of Perkins Coie for pushing Russian collusion story. -
Latino voters sue over Dem-created IL district maps, say use of flawed data violates 'one-person, one-vote principles'
A second lawsuit in as many days, this time filed by a prominent Latino advocacy organization, asserts the state's Democratic lawmakers used flawed data to make new legislative district maps, resulting in unequal districts that violate voters' constitutional equal protection rights. -
Dems' IL district maps challenged; GOP leaders: 'Population estimates' result in unequal, discriminatory districts
The lawsuit filed in federal court says the maps pushed through by Illinois Democrats wrongly rely on survey estimates, not actual Census data. -
Group can continue lawsuit vs IL Elections Board for restricting voter registration data, frustrating audit of IL voter records
Judge says high likelihood the Illinois State Board of Elections violated federal election law by refusing to turn over state voter records to group seeking to audit the voter rolls for irregularities. -
'Threat to everybody:' Townstone says feds mean to make example of them to expand regulatory power over lenders
Townstone Financial President Barry Sturner said he intends to continue fighting a federal regulatory complaint he said appears intended to chill speech federal agents disapprove of, under the rubric of fighting discrimination. -
'Message not getting across:' Judge says Pritzker wrong, feds still need to watch IL state government hiring
A federal judge has not only refused to grant Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's wish to end federal oversight of state hiring, but has granted a modest expansion of that watchdog duty. -
New SCOTUS rulings layout new 'roadmap', 'new legal regime' for churches challenging governors' COVID orders
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent actions could enhance churches' chances in court when challenging COVID- and other pandemic-related worship restrictions imposed by governors. -
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.