Chicago Area

Chicago area

• 19-year-old to attend Northwestern Law School, ABA Journal
• Questioning of jurors begins in Brown's case, Daily Herald
• Jury selection starts for exonerated Death Row inmate's suit against cops, Daily Herald
• Lawyer for Buffalo cabbie: This has been "blown out of proportion", Chicago Tribune
• Sale of Rezko's foreclosed mansion delayed, Chicago Tribune
• Lawyers battle outside court in Oak Lawn, Daily Southtown

Southern Illinois

• Hearing today for Collinsville woman whose baby died in hot car, Belleville News Democrat

This post is updated with breaking news throughout the day.

The Women's Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI) is seeking nominations for its 2009 "Women with Vision" Awards. The awards will be presented at the WBAI Joint Professional Dinner, on Thursday, November 5, 2009. The "Women with Vision" Awards were first presented in 1997 by the WBAI to honor and recognize women who have demonstrated visionary approaches in their professional endeavors and who have made a contribution to the well-being and empowerment of women. Nominees may be chosen from various professions, including law, medicine, academics, public office, business/entrepreneur, trades/labor, journalism, community/religious service, etc. WBAI members are invited to apply for or nominate candidates for the "Women with Vision" Awards. Please submit a statement no more than four 81⁄2" by 11" pages, about a candidate's specific qualifications and resume to: Women with Vision Committee, WBAI, 321 S. Plymouth Ct., Suite 4S Chicago, IL 60604. Application statement, resume, which may include press clippings and copies of published articles, must be received by noon on Wednesday, September 16, 2009. Any materials submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. All submitted material will remain the property of the WBAI.

For the first time, The John Marshall Law School will host the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals for a Sept. 1 hearing in the case United States v. Alston. The 3:30 p.m. hearing in the law school's Baim Courtroom, is open to the public. The Army Court of Appeals routinely hears two cases each year at law schools outside of the Washington, D.C., area. This case is being held at John Marshall at the invitation of Lt. Col. Gene Baime, an associate judge on the three-judge appellate panel, who is an alumnus of the law school. The court is reviewing a sexual assault conviction. On May 30, 2008, an enlisted panel sitting as a general court-martial jury at Fort Riley, Kansas, convicted Specialist John Alston of aggravated sexual assault in violation of Article 120, Uniform Code of Military Justice.  Originally charged with rape, Alston was convicted of the lesser included offense of aggravated sexual assault. The court-martial sentenced Alston to reduction to the grade of private, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, confinement for 181 days, and separation from the service with a bad-conduct discharge. The case was automatically appealed to the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals.

[caption id="attachment_3187" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hon. Arnette R. Hubbard addresses the audience after accepting her Brent Award."][/caption] Judge Arnette R. Hubbard of the Circuit Court of Cook County received the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award at the ABA's Annual Meeting this week in Chicago. Judge Hubbard began her career in 1969 after graduating from John Marshall Law School as an attorney for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She joined the Circuit Court in 1997 after a career as a private practitioner and eight years on the Chicago Board of Elections. Each year, the award recognizes five outstanding women from across the country who have achieved professional excellence in the law, who have opened doors and provided opportunities for other women lawyers to succeed, and who have influenced women to pursue legal careers. Past recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Click here to view the photo gallery from the event.