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Madison County Board passes resolution opposing Illinois' sanctuary status
The Madison County Board voted Wednesday to approve a resolution opposing sanctuary state status in response to the immigration crisis for migrants and the potential for asylum seekers in Madison County, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker calls to continue funding services for illegal immigrants during his State of the State address.
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First trial over claims that Enfamil formula caused infant's death is underway in St. Clair County
BELLEVILLE - Pressure will build for weeks at the St. Clair County courthouse in the nation’s first trial on a claim that Mead Johnson’s Enfamil formula caused an infant’s death, but the first day of jury selection brought smiles and connected the community.
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Prenzler censured over campaign card; Calls it 'a lynching with no due process'
The Madison County Board voted on Wednesday to approve a resolution censuring Chairman Kurt Prenzler following an ethics report finding he improperly distributed campaign materials to a county vendor from Ohio.
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Maag argues self incrimination claims support partial summary judgment in gun ban challenge
Wood River attorney Thomas Maag supports his motion for partial summary judgment in one of four consolidated gun ban lawsuits filed in the Southern District of Illinois, arguing that the registration requirement violates gun owners’ Constitutional privilege against self-incrimination.
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'Once and for all': SCOTUS asked to strike down IL 'assault weapons' ban, end 'defiance' from states, courts
Three petitions were filed on behalf of Illinois gun owners, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to send a message to defiant courts and state lawmakers, who have all but thumbed their noses at SCOTUS' Second Amendment rulings in passing and upholding new gun restrictions in Illinois and elsewhere
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McGlynn moves forward with gun ban litigation, says he won't wait for gov to figure out what they actually passed
EAST ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn told Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wells he won’t wait for the state to explain the choices legislators made in the weapon ban they passed last year.
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Yandle rejects lifetime disarmament for felons, finds the law unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle concluded that the law precluding felons from possessing a firearm is unconstitutional in the same way that gun owners argue the state’s “assault weapons” ban violates the Second Amendment.
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Cates sues Express Scripts, Optum Rx over opioid crisis on behalf of St. Clair County
EAST ST. LOUIS - David Cates of Swansea, as special counsel to St. Clair County, claims pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and Optum Rx negligently disseminated massive quantities of prescription opioids into the county.
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Prenzler: Ethics investigation over 'minor error' is a 'politically motivated witch hunt'; Slusser calls for cooperation
Madison County Chairman Kurt Prenzler says Treasurer Chris Slusser is “making a mountain out of a molehill” after Slusser called on Prenzler to cooperate with an ethics investigation involving allegations that the chairman improperly distributed campaign materials.
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Beckett orders defendants to produce communications in Duebbert's malicious prosecution case
BELLEVILLE - Defendants in former St. Clair County Circuit Judge Ron Duebbert’s malicious prosecution suit must reveal communications among themselves to Duebbert’s forensic expert in person.
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McGlynn denies motion to stay gun ban challenge, says it's time to 'decide what you’re fighting over'
EAST ST. LOUIS - Plaintiffs challenging Illinois' so-called "assault weapon" ban moved to stay proceedings with agreement from the state’s lawyer, but U.S. District Judge McGlynn told them it was time to move forward.
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IL courts help fuel massive class action, settlement activity in 2023: Duane Morris annual report
Class action settlements collective totaling more than $51 billion in 2023 helped to generate 'most extensive ... transfer of wealth' in U.S. court history, new report says. Illinois biometrics class actions one of 'hottest' growth sectors in litigation, according to the report.
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Ziegler declaration: Hunter Biden's laptop was not hacked; Contents published from his southern Illinois hometown
LOS ANGELES - Illinois native Garrett Ziegler, of the Marco Polo website, filed a declaration against Hunter Biden’s computer abuse suit stating, “We are not hackers. We are simply publishers.”
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Garrett Ziegler of Marco Polo seeks to dismiss Hunter Biden’s laptop suit or transfer to Illinois
LOS ANGELES - Garrett Ziegler of Effingham, Illinois, whose Marco Polo website published data from Hunter Biden’s computer, has asked U.S. District Judge Hernan Vera in Los Angeles to dismiss a suit Biden filed or transfer it to Illinois.
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Madison, St. Clair Counties adjusting well to SAFE-T Act mandates, but see increased demand on public defenders
Despite growing pains, Madison and St. Clair counties report success in enacting sweeping, unfunded changes to the court system mandated under the state’s new SAFE-T Act, including the nation’s first no-cash bond system.
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Former Caseyville trustee, wife reject conspiracy claim in truck dispute, accuse village attorney of defamation
CASEYVILLE - Former Caseyville village trustee Kerry Davis and wife Carroll accused village attorney Doug Stewart of defamation at a meeting of trustees on Jan. 3 for linking them to an alleged criminal conspiracy, which they say is not true.
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SCOTUS rejects appeal of IL Supreme Court gun ban ruling, despite big Pritzker giving to justices
The U.S. Supreme Court denied appeal from Decatur gun rights supporters, who argued their rights were violated when the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the state's new "assault weapons" ban law and the state's two newest Democratic justices refused to recuse, despite millions in campaign gifts from Gov. JB Pritzker and his allies
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Duebbert files affidavit claiming malicious prosecution allegations supported by social media posts, cell phone data
BELLEVILLE - Former St. Clair County Circuit Judge Ron Duebbert argues that he can prove his malicious prosecution claims if the defendants produce social media posts and data saved to cell phones and the cloud.
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Oversight committee raised questions about 'assault weapons' ban ahead of Monday's registration deadline
SPRINGFIELD - As the new year begins, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s ban on so-called "assault weapons" takes effect under emergency rules that still leave many questions unanswered.
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McGlynn denies preliminary injunction so gun ban dispute can move forward, saying 'Gov. exists to serve us, not lord over us'
EAST ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn ended what he called preliminary wrangling over the state's controversial weapon law, or the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA), so he can decide whether it violates a constitutional right to bear arms.