Understanding Police Powers and the Role of Warrants When it comes to interactions between law enforcement officers and the public, the issue of trust and legal boundaries is paramount. One common question that arises is whether police can lie about having a warrant during an investigation or when attempting to…
The Department of Justice has announced charges against hundreds of individuals for COVID-19 relief fraud following an operation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Many of those facing charges have ties to organized crime, according to the DOJ. In one case, authorities allege that the pandemic relief…
Cook County prosecutors dropped charges against a man who was exonerated on an appeal for a crime he claimed he never committed. Throughout his time in prison, he maintained his innocence for a double murder that he says police pinned on him. He spent 34 years in prison on charges…
The son of notorious drug trafficker El Chapo has been extradited to Chicago from Mexico on charges of drug trafficking. Ovidio Guzman Lopez was charged in April along with two dozen others who are suspected of being a part of the Sinaloa Cartel. According to the lawsuit, the Sinaloa Cartel used…
Illinois has officially become the first state in the country to eliminate cash bail. Proponents of the measure say that it punishes the poor unfairly. The Pretrial Fairness Act prevents judges from setting bail but gives them broader discretion to deny release to those accused of violent crimes. Those opposed…
A Chicago man was recently found guilty of the rape of a 15-year-old girl while she was walking home in 2017. The 66-year-old defendant had been charged with two counts of rape, attempted rape, criminal confinement, armed robbery, and battery with a deadly weapon. The defendant was convicted on each of…
Former porn star Ron Jeremy has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial by the judge presiding over his case. He faced dozens of rape charges but was only recently in the news after victims came out to share their stories. A judge declared that he was in “incurable neurocognitive decline,” and…
The City of Chicago has been wrongly placing felonies on the records of those in diversion programs. Having a felony on your record can make it difficult to find housing or apply for a job. In one case, a man who was identified as Malcolm in an article published by…
Chicago prosecutors are dropping cases that relied on a Chicago police officer’s testimony after that officer was accused of perjury. The officer testified that his girlfriend had stolen his car in order to get dozens of traffic tickets against him dismissed. The officer is accused of perjuring himself 44 times in…
The Illinois Supreme Court recently ruled that one of the provisions of the SAFE-T Act that would end cash bail is constitutional. The decision will allow Illinois to become the first state in the country to end cash bail. Instead of cash bail, judges will have the ultimate discretion on…