Illinois Supreme Court

A Joliet man charged with a violent crime had been released from jail in 2023 on the wrong bond amount by a former Will County sheriff’s deputy, who’s now facing sex crime charges, police records show. 

Illinois House Republicans waited too long to file a lawsuit challenging legislative maps drawn in 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Wednesday

Defense attorneys once again seek to have a neuropsychologist evaluate a former Bolingbrook police sergeant who wants his murder conviction vacated.

Defense attorneys in a Lockport Township gun case claim a vehicle search during a traffic stop was unjustified because a deputy claimed he could smell marijuana that was never recovered.

Democrats continue to hold a supermajority in the Illinois House thanks to illegally gerrymandered House districts, House Republicans allege in a new lawsuit filed with the Illinois Supreme Court Tuesday.

The city attorney for Lockport will become a Will County circuit court judge in February. She will replace John Anderson, who was elected last year to the appellate court.

The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a case centered on whether a state law passed in 2023 violates the due process rights of Illinoisans outside Sangamon and Cook counties.

The Illinois Supreme Court declined to issue an order to release former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson as it considers whether to hear an appeal regarding his pretrial detention

The smell of raw marijuana alone is enough probable cause for an officer to search a vehicle, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday, reversing the decision of a Whiteside County judge and upholding the appellate court’s ruling.

A Harvey man convicted of a 2019 shooting was not placed on house arrest when he was allowed jail release in Will County, just weeks before he was charged with killing a Chicago police officer, according to court records and prosecutors.

A conservative Catholic legal group is suing Illinois over a landmark state law enshrining a “fundamental right” to abortion care and requiring insurance companies to cover abortion and other reproductive health care

The Illinois Supreme Court has overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lied to Chicago police

In the wake of the killing of a Chicago police officer, Will County's state's attorney said lawmakers should close a “loophole” with the SAFE-T Act. Supporters of the law said his solution won't improve safety.

Unofficial vote totals show a Democrat judge in Will County has a high lead over a Republican judge in DuPage County for the 3rd District Appellate Court race.

The Illinois Supreme Court last week vacated a lower court ruling and reinstated a statute that authorizes the state to revoke a person’s Firearm Owners Identification card once they’ve been charged with a felony, even if they haven’t yet been convicted

Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday

The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a pair of cases that test the authority of local courts to hold criminal suspects behind bars while they await trial

A law banning political parties from waiting until after the primary election to place a state legislative candidate on the general election ballot won’t keep any Republicans from running this November.

The Illinois Supreme Court heard several arguments in cases on Tuesday, including a case that could change how police handle certain firearms possession violations

It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data.

The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that a state law restricting where previously convicted child sex offenders can live is constitutional, although it left open the possibility that it was improperly applied to one Kane County individual.

The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor.

Nate Miller, a Sycamore High School senior and a couple of dozen other students involved with the school’s Youth in Government Club received permission to skip class recently to see the Illinois Supreme Court in action on NIU campus in DeKalb.

The Illinois Supreme Court is being asked to decide on the constitutionality of a new state law that says constitutional challenges to state laws and actions can only be filed in Cook or Sangamon counties.

Prosecutors seek to disqualify the longtime attorney for a former Joliet teacher charged with the murder of his wife in 2018. The case set for trial last February but that was delayed after more pretrial issues were raised.

The Illinois Supreme Court will leave its Springfield headquarters for a day this month to hear oral arguments at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, offering a chance for area students and the public to witness state court proceedings.

A Cook County judge on Wednesday ordered former President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the March 19 Republican primary ballot but stayed her order until Friday to give time for an appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Judge Dave Carlson, who challenged the Will County state's attorney in the 2012 election plans to leave the bench on April 30. The judge's term was set to expire in 2026.

Another event about the abolishment of cash bail under the SAFE-T Act will be held on Feb. 28 at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook.

A Will County judge has ordered two teens charged with hijacking a pregnant woman's vehicle in Joliet to stay in jail. One of those teens had been on pretrial release in a stolen vehicle case.

The Illinois Supreme Court has again denied a request from a Republican lawmaker seeking to repeal the state’s gun ban.

In response to questions over the case against Joliet mass shooting suspect's girlfriend, a police spokesman said investigators "continue their methodical investigation of this very complex case."

Staffing agencies – a fast-growing industry that employs nearly a million Illinoisans – are not exempt from the state’s antitrust law, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled late last week.

The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday as to whether the smell of cannabis alone is grounds for police officers to search a vehicle. Last spring, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the smell of marijuana is enough for police to search a vehicle.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced the appointment of Matthew G. Bertani to the 12th Judicial Circuit Court in Will County, effective Jan. 8.

Bicyclists are nearly always “permitted” users of the road – but are only “intended” users of the road when bike lanes or signage are present, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled last week.

In a unanimous opinion, the justices ruled against a pair of nurses who sued their employers over their use of fingerprint-enabled medication storage – a technology many hospitals have adopted to curb abuse or theft of certain drugs

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that people may obtain records about their own Firearm Owners Identification cards, but they may not use the state’s Freedom of Information Act to do so

Former Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson, convicted of the 2004 murder of his third wife, filed a petition in 2021 to overturn his conviction but there has been no ruling on it yet in Will County.

Joliet's inspector general said the former city manager gave permission to sue Illinois State Police for the agency's investigation records.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the City of Joliet does not need to refund property taxes paid by the owners of the now condemned property. The city plans to redevelop the site as Riverwalk Homes.

The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments from three staffing agencies that say their industry is exempt from state antitrust laws in a case claiming the firms conspired to hold down wages for their workers.

The purpose of the new learning center at the Illinois Supreme Court building is to improve civic knowledge, said John Lupton, executive director of the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission.

Health care industry argues it is exempt from biometric privacy liability while the attorney for two nurses suing their employers said that argument would effect "as much as 10% of the Illinois workforce."

A Grundy County judge ruled former Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk and Joliet Inspector General Sean Connolly are afforded immunity from a former Joliet councilman's defamation claims.

Sixteen NIU students recently were joined by 75 others from eight Illinois law schools for Jumpstart 2023, a pre-law prep program that serves students from communities that are historically underrepresented in the legal profession.

The Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the abolishment of cash bail struck an ominous note for some leaders in Will County law enforcement but one local Black Lives Matter activist saw it as justice served.

Lockport's city attorney will join others on an advisory council in their research on bullying in the legal profession. The attorney said "bullying should not be a rite of passage" in the profession.

The Illinois Supreme Court may issue an opinion on Tuesday that could decide whether cashless bail for criminal defendants will be implemented in the state.

The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday around in part, on whether an unborn child can be considered a “victim” of murder and, more broadly, whether it can be considered an “individual” under state law.