Court Rules a Defendant’s Passcodes Are Not Protected Recently the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that a defendant’s Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination do not apply to cell phone passcodes and courts can order a defendant to provide the passcode to...
Chicago Criminal Law Blog
Can the Odor of Marijuana Justify a Police Search? It Depends on the State
Wisconsin Court Rules Marijuana Scent Alone Warrants Police Search Recently the Wisconsin Supreme Court narrowly ruled that police officers were justified in conducting a search of a vehicle based on the purported smell of marijuana, overturning a lower courts ruling....
Government Expands Investigation Tools for PPP Fraud and Other Pandemic Relief Programs
Governor Pritzker Likely to Extending Statute of Limitations for Pandemic Relief Fraud It is widely expected that Illinois Governor Pritzker will sign recently passed legislation that will extend the statute of limitations to bring criminal charges against individuals...
Lawyer Reprimanded for Using Chat GPT in Legal Research
Reliance on Artificial Intelligence Growing Across Industries As ChatGPT grows in popularity, there has been increasing speculation that it will disrupt many white-collar jobs, even replacing workers. There is considerable debate surrounding which industries are at...
Supreme Court Clarifies Culpability in Suits Brought Under False Claims Act
Supreme Court Reverses Seventh Circuit Cases Based on State of Mind Standard The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the Seventh Circuit erred in dismissing two separate suits brought under the False Claims Act (“FCA”) by whistleblowers alleging Medicare/Medicaid...
Federal Appeals Court Restricts Government’s Ability to Deny Gun Possession and Ownership Based on Criminal History
Federal “Felon-in-Possession” Law Violates Second Amendment On June 6, 2023, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the current federal “felon in possession” law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)) violated a Pennsylvania man’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms...
Rape Allegations Once Again Make National Headlines
New Information Comes to Light Against NFL Punter After being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 NFL draft, Matt Araiza was cut from the team after he was named in a civil lawsuit that alleged that he participated in multiple acts of rape (sexual assault) of a...
Indiana Man Arrested for Unlawful Transfer of Weapon Allegedly Used In Connection to Murdered Police Officer
The Department of Justice announced charges on Wednesday against Corey Gray, a LaPorte, Indiana resident, for the unlawful transfer of a firearm that was recovered during the arrest of individuals allegedly involved in the arrest of off duty Chicago Police Officer...
Psilocybin, More Commonly Referred to as “Shrooms” or “Magic Mushrooms” Are All the Rage, But They Are Still Illegal; Could it Be the Next Decriminalized Drug?
The stigma surrounding psychedelics has seemed to change with the times. Accordingly, there have been what appears to be widespread efforts to change the legal status of certain psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, more commonly referred to as Magic Mushrooms. But...
ShotSpotter, Facial Recognition Software, and Issues with Emerging Police Technology
Police departments across the United States have increasingly turned to new technology and software in assisting with criminal investigations. However, critics have sounded the alarm over their implementation, citing issues with the accuracy of these untested...