The First Step Act of 2018 targeted overly severe sentencing for drug charges leftover from the zero-tolerance era. The intent was to rid or reduce overly severe penalties that were legislated as mandatory. Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court then unanimously ruled...
The Constitution grants us all the fundamental right to a fair trial when we encounter the criminal justice system. However, sometimes police try to use techniques that violate the criminal defendant’s constitutional rights and encroach upon their opportunity to build...
The whole country was following the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. On August 25, 2020, the then-17-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, was dropped in neighboring Kenosha by his mother with the idea of helping maintain law and order amidst a night...
The Chicago Police Department is no stranger to controversy. The latest incident involves Sergeant Marc Vanek, who turned whistleblower over the alleged misuse of police resources. The sergeant sent a memo to Police Superintendent David Brown and then filed a lawsuit...
It began with a relatively minor allegation. The state of Illinois accused a man, Larry Earvin, who suffered from mental illness and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, of stealing less than $300 worth of watches from a hospital gift shop. The...
Relentless bullying and the Chicago Public Schools system's failure to do anything about it has led to the death of a Chicago child, a lawsuit alleges. In February 2019, Jamari Dent, then age 11, wrapped a bedsheet around his neck and hung it from a coat hook in a...
It seems that not a day goes by without law enforcement forcibly arresting someone during a "routine" traffic stop. These stops are more frequently escalating into armed confrontations that end up with a citizen being seriously injured or killed. Critics argue that...
The civil rights of individuals going through a police encounter have changed over the years due to court rulings. The Miranda Warning is an example of a relatively new but powerful form of protection for those in the United States facing arrest and questioning by law...
Receiving a drug possession charge is a serious matter, regardless of a defendant's background. If you recently had an encounter with police that ended in a drug charge, it is wise to begin building your defense immediately. If you choose to wait to build your defense...
You hope to never have a negative interaction with police, but if you do it's critical to understand your legal rights in Illinois and how to protect them. More specifically, a basic understanding of police misconduct will help prevent a situation in which you're...
