Illinois

  • July 24, 2025

    Curaleaf Unit Sues Illinois Regulators Over Growhouse Permit

    A subsidiary of cannabis giant Curaleaf, Compass Ventures Inc., is suing the Illinois Department of Agriculture for refusing to allow the company to expand its Montgomery County cannabis cultivation center with a 42,000-square-foot "hoop house," claiming the agency allowed at least two rivals to build similar structures in the past.

  • July 24, 2025

    Green Groups Cleared To Join EV Funding Freeze Challenge

    A Washington federal judge will let the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations enter a multistate lawsuit against the federal government seeking to preserve funding for new electric-vehicle charging infrastructure, concluding the groups have a significant interest in protecting the project funds.  

  • July 24, 2025

    FTC May Join Intuitive Surgical Antitrust Appeal

    The Federal Trade Commission has asked the Ninth Circuit for extra time to decide if it will weigh in on a $140 million antitrust appeal involving Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci robot.

  • July 24, 2025

    Madigan Confidant Gets 2 Years For Role In ComEd Bribery

    An Illinois federal judge sentenced a lobbyist for Commonwealth Edison to two years in prison Thursday for his role in forging a "crucial connection" between the utility and his longtime friend, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, and acting as Madigan's mouthpiece in a scheme to illegally influence the powerful politician to support ComEd's legislative agenda.

  • July 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Birthright Citizenship EO Injunction

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's preliminary injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship in a legal challenge by four states, ruling in a published opinion that Trump's order contradicts the "plain language" of the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause.

  • July 23, 2025

    FTC Wants PE Firm's Medical Device Coating Deal Put On Ice

    Private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings' $627 million merger with Surmodics will bring the previously fierce competition for medical device coatings to a grinding halt, the FTC says, which is all the more reason a federal court should block the deal while an agency challenge plays out.

  • July 23, 2025

    DOE Nixes $4.9B Loan Commitment To Grain Belt Express

    The U.S. Department of Energy on Wednesday pulled the plug on its conditional commitment to a $4.9 billion loan guarantee for the first phase of the Grain Belt Express, a transmission line slated to cross parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

  • July 23, 2025

    Chicago Defense, Civil Liberties Icon Tom Durkin Dies At 78

    Thomas Durkin, a celebrated criminal and civil rights lawyer, has died after a brief illness with lung cancer at the age of 78. Those who knew him remembered him as a brilliant lawyer who cared deeply for his fellow human beings and battled unwaveringly against what he saw as abuses of power.

  • July 23, 2025

    Feds Seek 15 Months For Lobbyist Over Madigan Scheme

    Federal prosecutors have urged an Illinois federal judge to sentence ex-ComEd lobbyist Jay Doherty to one year and three months in prison for his "critical role" in a scheme to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whose associates were paid as "subcontractors" under Doherty's lobbying contract with the utility even though they did little to no work.

  • July 23, 2025

    Symbria Workers' $5.9M ESOP Deal Gets Ill. Judge's Final OK

    An Illinois federal judge gave his final blessing Tuesday to a $5.9 million settlement between Argent Trust Co. and a group of Symbria Inc. employees who accused the company of mismanaging their employee stock ownership plan.

  • July 23, 2025

    7th Circ. Revives Part Of Solar Firm's Panama Grid Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday largely upheld an Illinois federal judge's ruling that Spanish energy company Avanzalia Solar could not pursue its claims that Goldwind Americas blocked and delayed access to the Panamanian power grid.

  • July 23, 2025

    PE-Backed Consumer Data Giant NIQ Prices $1.1B IPO

    Private equity-backed consumer research services provider NIQ Global Intelligence began trading after pricing its initial public offering at $1.1 billion within its marketed range, one of two new listings to debut Wednesday.

  • July 22, 2025

    Justices Urged To Hear Ill. Freight Broker Negligence Fight

    A man who was injured in an Illinois trucking accident urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to address conflicting court decisions on whether federal law shields freight brokers from state-based negligence and personal injury claims, saying broker and logistics giant C.H. Robinson cannot evade liability.

  • July 22, 2025

    CME E-Trading Was Open Before Data Center, Jury Hears

    Chicago Mercantile Exchange members were using electronic trading connectivity tools alongside nonmembers and paying equal access fees for at least a decade before the exchange opened a data center that some members alleged violated their contractual floor exclusivity and access rights, an Illinois jury heard Tuesday.

  • July 22, 2025

    Power Cos., PJM Back FERC Auction Rerun Decision

    Power producers and PJM Interconnection LLC told the D.C. Circuit Monday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was right to let PJM rerun an electricity capacity auction with an inflated reliability requirement after the Third Circuit ruled changes to it were retroactive ratemaking.

  • July 22, 2025

    Lathrop GPM Adds Partner To Chicago Office

    Lathrop GPM LLP has added a new Chicago-based partner to its tort, insurance and environmental practice group, the firm announced Monday, saying her practice primarily focuses on defending clients against product liability claims and claims involving exposure to toxic substances and transportation-related injuries.

  • July 22, 2025

    Greenberg Traurig Adds State And Local Tax Pro From EY

    Greenberg Traurig is bringing on a former principal in EY's national tax practice as a shareholder in the firm's Chicago office to advise on state and local tax matters.

  • July 22, 2025

    Chicago Federal Courthouse Evacuated Over Man With Knife

    The Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in downtown Chicago was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a man with a knife entered the courthouse lobby, forcing an hourslong lockdown.

  • July 22, 2025

    Longtime Sidley Global Finance Atty Jumps To Paul Hastings

    Paul Hastings LLP announced Tuesday that it has grown its asset-backed finance platform by bringing on a former Sidley Austin LLP global finance partner in Chicago.

  • July 21, 2025

    Sinclair Stations Clear Up FCC's Kid TV Enforcement

    Sinclair Broadcast Group stations that aired Hot Wheels commercials during a children's Hot Wheels program in violation of Federal Communications Commission rules are settling with the agency after their owner inked a deal allowing the parent company to avoid a $2.6 million fine.

  • July 21, 2025

    Copyright And TM Cases To Watch In The Second Half Of 2025

    The U.S. Supreme Court will evaluate contributory liability in a $1 billion copyright case involving internet service providers, and the Federal Circuit will assess the latest attempted trademark registration testing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's comfort with profanity. Here are the copyright and trademark cases to watch for the rest of the year.

  • July 21, 2025

    Traders' Floor Rights Were 'Essential' In CME Shift, Jury Hears

    Chicago Mercantile Exchange leaders wanted to honor and preserve longtime floor traders' exclusive access rights as they explored demutualization due to electronic trading's unclear future at the time, but discussions never addressed plans for members in the event of a total technological takeover, Illinois jurors heard Monday.

  • July 21, 2025

    Walgreens Accused Of Failing To Provide Meal, Rest Breaks

    Walgreens flouted Washington state law and Seattle's wage theft ordinance by failing to provide employees with meal and rest breaks and then automatically deducting time for breaks that workers never took, a former pharmacy employee said in a proposed class action in federal court.

  • July 21, 2025

    Ex-Judges Call SAP Hypocritical In 'Self-Serving' Fintiv Appeal

    Retired Federal Circuit Judges Randall Rader and Kathleen O'Malley are urging their former court to reject SAP America Inc.'s challenge to how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is implementing new policies, saying the agency is acting within its limits and that SAP is selfishly contradicting arguments it previously made at the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • July 21, 2025

    States Say Noncitizen Benefit Restrictions Are Creating Chaos

    A coalition of 20 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Monday for "upending" noncitizens' access to publicly funded programs like Head Start and food banks.

Expert Analysis

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • DOJ Actions Signal Rising Enforcement Risk For Health Cos.

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's announcement of a new False Claims Act working group, together with the largest healthcare fraud takedown in history, underscore the importance of sophisticated compliance programs that align with the DOJ's data-driven approach, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • Capital One Deal Approval Lights Up Path For Bank M&A

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    The federal banking regulators' recent approval of Capital One's acquisition of Discover signals the agencies' willingness to approve large transactions and a more favorable environment generally for bank mergers under the Trump administration, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • State, Fed Junk Fee Enforcement Shows No Signs Of Slowing

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    The Federal Trade Commission’s potent new rule targeting drip pricing, in addition to the growing patchwork of state consumer protection laws, suggest that enforcement and litigation targeting junk fees will likely continue to expand, says Etia Rottman Frand at Darrow AI.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • Birthright Opinions Reveal Views On Rule 23(b)(2) Relief

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    The justices' multiple opinions in the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 27 decision in the birthright citizenship case, Trump v. CASA, shed light on whether Rule 23(b)(2) could fill the void created by the court's decision to restrict nationwide injunctions, says Benjamin Johns at Shub Johns.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Latest Influencer Marketing Class Actions Pinpoint 5 Themes

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    Several recent deceptive marketing class actions against both brands and influencers attempt to transform arguably routine business practices into a new focus area for consumer complaints, suggesting a coordinated approach to test what could become an increasingly popular area of litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

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