Illinois Case Commentaries

Mootness and Appellate Review in Juvenile Dependency Cases: Insights from In re V.S., a Minor v. D.H.E.

Date: Jan 25, 2025

Mootness and Appellate Review in Juvenile Dependency Cases: Insights from In re V.S., a Minor v. D.H.E. Introduction The case of In re V.S., a Minor v. D.H.E., adjudicated by the Supreme Court of...

Illinois Supreme Court Limits Cumulative Error Claims to Preserved and Plain Errors

Date: Dec 23, 2024

Illinois Supreme Court Limits Cumulative Error Claims to Preserved and Plain Errors Introduction In The People of the State of Illinois v. Olvan Quezada (2024 IL 128805), the Illinois Supreme Court...

Affirmation of Mandatory Life Sentences for Emerging Adults Under Illinois Proportionate Penalties Clause

Date: Dec 23, 2024

Affirmation of Mandatory Life Sentences for Emerging Adults Under Illinois Proportionate Penalties Clause Introduction In the landmark case of The People of the State of Illinois v. Torolan Williams...

Affirmation of Investigative Alerts: Illinois Supreme Court in People v. Angelo Clark Establishes New Precedent

Date: Dec 23, 2024

Affirmation of Investigative Alerts: Illinois Supreme Court in People v. Angelo Clark Establishes New Precedent Introduction In the landmark case The People of the State of Illinois v. Angelo Clark...

Establishing Probable Cause: Odor of Raw Cannabis in Illinois Vehicle Searches

Date: Dec 9, 2024

Establishing Probable Cause: Odor of Raw Cannabis in Illinois Vehicle Searches Introduction The case of The People of the State of Illinois v. Vincent Molina (2024 IL 129237) addresses a pivotal...

Supreme Court of Illinois Establishes Clear Burden-Shifting Rules in Fuel Tax Liability Cases

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Supreme Court of Illinois Establishes Clear Burden-Shifting Rules in Fuel Tax Liability Cases Introduction In the landmark case of Marathon Petroleum Company LP v. The Cook County Department of...

Affirmation of Sentence: Limits of Plain Error Doctrine in Aggravated Domestic Battery Cases

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Affirmation of Sentence: Limits of Plain Error Doctrine in Aggravated Domestic Battery Cases Introduction In the case of The People of the State of Illinois v. Ryann N. Johnson (2024 IL 130191), the...

Illinois Supreme Court Affirms Strict Standards for Serious Provocation in Attempted Murder Sentencing

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Illinois Supreme Court Affirms Strict Standards for Serious Provocation in Attempted Murder Sentencing Introduction In the landmark case of The People of the State of Illinois v. Victor Haynes (2024...

Illinois Supreme Court Establishes Boundaries of SLAPP Protections for Media in Defamation Cases

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Illinois Supreme Court Establishes Boundaries of SLAPP Protections for Media in Defamation Cases Introduction In the landmark case of Mauro Glorioso v. Sun-Times Media Holdings, LLC, 2024 IL 130137,...

Duty to Retreat in Self-Defense: Illinois Supreme Court Clarifies Jury Instruction Criteria

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Duty to Retreat in Self-Defense: Illinois Supreme Court Clarifies Jury Instruction Criteria Introduction In the landmark case of People of the State of Illinois v. Matthew Sloan (2024 IL 129676), the...

New Standards for Successive Postconviction Petitions in Illinois: A Commentary on Harris v. The People

Date: Nov 26, 2024

New Standards for Successive Postconviction Petitions in Illinois: A Commentary on Harris v. The People Introduction The case of The People of the State of Illinois v. Kyjuanzi Harris, 2024 IL...

Reaffirmation of the State's Burden to Prove No Mitigating Pretrial Release Conditions under the Pretrial Fairness Act

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Reaffirmation of the State's Burden to Prove No Mitigating Pretrial Release Conditions under the Pretrial Fairness Act Introduction In the landmark case of The People of the State of Illinois v....

Supreme Court of Illinois Affirmation on Annexation Agreement Fees: Habdab v. County of Lake

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Supreme Court of Illinois Affirmation on Annexation Agreement Fees: Habdab LLC v. County of Lake Introduction The case of Habdab, LLC v. County of Lake et al. (2024 IL 130323) addresses the...

Enforcement of Nonprosecution Agreements: Smollett v. Illinois Supreme Court Establishes Due Process Protection

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Enforcement of Nonprosecution Agreements: Smollett v. Illinois Supreme Court Establishes Due Process Protection Introduction In the landmark case of The People of the State of Illinois v. Jussie...

Affirmation of Armed Robbery Penalty: Distinguishing Dangerous Weapon Definitions under Illinois Law

Date: Nov 26, 2024

Affirmation of Armed Robbery Penalty: Distinguishing Dangerous Weapon Definitions under Illinois Law Introduction The Supreme Court of Illinois, in The People of the State of Illinois v. Joseph...

Invalid Waiver of Counsel: Supreme Court of Illinois Sets New Precedent in Ratliff v. The People

Date: Nov 19, 2024

Invalid Waiver of Counsel: Supreme Court of Illinois Sets New Precedent in Ratliff v. The People Introduction In the landmark case of The People of the State of Illinois v. Earl E. Ratliff, 2024 IL...

Finality of Judgment and the Temporal Application of Amended Sentencing Statutes: PEOPLE v. BROWN

Date: Nov 19, 2024

Finality of Judgment and the Temporal Application of Amended Sentencing Statutes: PEOPLE v. BROWN Introduction In the landmark case of The People of the State of Illinois v. Alvin Brown (2024 IL...

Clarifying the Timing of Detention Petitions Under Illinois' SAFE-T Act: People v. Carlos Clark

Date: Sep 20, 2024

Clarifying the Timing of Detention Petitions Under Illinois' SAFE-T Act: People v. Carlos Clark Introduction People of the State of Illinois appealed the decision in People of the State of Illinois...

Flournoy v. The People: Clarifying the Use of Evidence in Successive Postconviction Petitions in Illinois

Date: Aug 23, 2024

Flournoy v. The People: Clarifying the Use of Evidence in Successive Postconviction Petitions in Illinois Introduction Flournoy v. The People is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Illinois...

Issue Preclusion in Double Jeopardy: People v. Jefferson

Date: Jun 7, 2024

Issue Preclusion in Double Jeopardy: People v. Jefferson Introduction People v. Jefferson is a pivotal 2024 decision by the Supreme Court of Illinois that addresses the intricate interplay between...