2018 Articles

Busted with brownies? Illinois law turns chocolate into weed By Paul C. Meyers June 2018 The legal interpretation of the weight of cannabis in edibles varies by state. However, most states equate the total weight of the pot-laced edibles with the weight they can legally charge someone with possessing cannabis.

Case summary: People v. Bonilla By Anastacia Greene December 2018 In People v. Bonilla, the Illinois Supreme Court held that the police’s warrantless use of a drug-sniffing dog at the threshold of a resident’s apartment door violated his Fourth Amendment Constitutional rights.

Case summary: People v. Vara By Jessica Fangman December 2018 The Illinois Supreme Court held in People v. Vara that the appellate courts do not have jurisdiction to address unlawful fines imposed by the circuit clerk against the defendant.

Cellphone data – Constitutional protections continue to expand By Stephen Baker October 2018 An overview of Carpenter v. United States, in which the U.S. Supreme Court determined whether the government conducts a search under the Fourth Amendment when it accesses historical cell phone records to chronicle a user’s past locations when possessing the phone.

Curtilage and the Carroll Doctrine June 2018 An overview of the U.S. Supreme Court case Collins v. Virginia.

Fit to be tied: Unraveling the mysterious knots of fitness proceedings for criminal defendants By Timothy James Ting March 2018 This article explores the purpose of fitness proceedings in Illinois for criminal defendants and addresses contemporary issues that confront criminal defense attorneys pertaining to fitness proceedings.

Is it time for no-name criminal juries in Cook County? By Hon. Charles P. Burns, Ana Montelongo, Darryl Auguste, & Ross Steinberg October 2018 A look at how jurors’ stress caused by privacy and safety concerns in the digital age of instant information affects the fairness of the judicial system.

Legislation: 2018 bills update By Stephen Baker October 2018 A compiled table of some of the new laws that the Illinois legislature has passed in the last year.

New hope for young adult gun offenders: 2018 AGG UUW First Offender Program By Paul C. Meyers March 2018 Effective January 1, 2018, the First Time Weapon Offender Program not only provides for probation, but for the possibility of avoiding a conviction

Note from the editor By Linda Watson December 2018 An introduction to the issue from the editor, Linda Watson.

Pandora’s box: The predicament of incarcerating mentally ill defendants in the Illinois Department of Corrections By Timothy James Ting December 2018 For many inexperienced prosecutors and defense attorneys, there may not be much of an understanding of the services that are offered by the Illinois Department of Corrections for mentally ill defendants and the difficulties in rehabilitating mentally ill offenders upon their release.

People v. Perkins and the right to pro se representation By Geraldine D’Souza June 2018 In People v. Perkins, the appellate court decided two distinct but very important issues.

A public defender’s office is not a ‘law firm’ for purposes of determining conflicts in multiple defendant cases By Ronald L. Lewis June 2018 In People v. Cole, the Illinois Supreme Court addressed whether a trial court could properly appoint a public defender’s office to more than one defendant in a multi-defendant case.

So you want to be a criminal defense lawyer? Here’s what you should know! By Jessica Fangman March 2018 What can a new attorney do to get her foot in the door?

Criminal Justice

2018 Articles