US appeals court in Chicago revives lawsuit on books in jail

An appeals court has breathed life back into a lawsuit alleging policies at Cook County Jail in Illinois that limit the number of books inmates can have at a time violates their First Amendment rights. The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reports the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn't rule on the constitutional question in its finding last week.

Justice Department asks Supreme Court for help with sanctuary cities injunction

The Department of Justice is asking the Supreme Court for help in scaling back an earlier injunction in its fight against sanctuary cities . Solicitor General Noel Francisco asked the nation's highest court for a partial stay on an earlier court order that blocked the Trump administration's efforts to withhold public safety grants from so-called sanctuary cities.

Appeals court refuses to dismiss Schock corruption charges

In this April 18, 2018, photo, former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock walks out of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, refused to toss corruption charges against Schock, saying it can't assess whether his prosecution violated constitutional separation-of-powers clauses until after he goes to trial.

Leetonia cuts court clerk hours

Council Wednesday night agreed to change the mayor's court clerk to an as needed position, determined by the mayor. The move is in response to former magistrate Kathleen Bartlett resigning after being appointed by Gov. John Kasich to the Seventh District Court of Appeals, making the clerk position not needed unless the magistrate position is filled.

Age discrimination act applies to outside job applicants: Court

A federal appeals court held Thursday that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 applies to outside job applicants as well as current employees, in a ruling that disagrees with another circuit court on the issue. "We hold that protects both outside job applicants and current employees," said the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in a 2-1 ruling in Dale E. Kleber v.

The Latest: Trump administration vows to fight injunction

President Donald Trump's administration has criticized a nationwide injunction preventing it from withholding public safety grants from cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement policies. A three-judge appeals court panel in Chicago agreed Thursday with a lower judge's temporary injunction barring the Trump administration action.

Rules, separation of powers focus of Schock appeal hearing

In this Nov. 10, 2016, file photo, former Illinois U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock talks to reporters in Peoria Heights, Ill. A federal appeals court in Chicago will hear oral arguments Wednesday, April 18, 2018, in Schock's corruption case as his lawyers seek to have all his charges dismissed.

The Latest: Court hears arguments in Aaron Schock appeal

A lawyer for former Republican Rep. Aaron Schock says prosecutors are aiming to be the first to imprison a former member of Congress over ambiguous rules the U.S. House set for itself. Attorney Benjamin Hatch made the arguments Wednesday before the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago as he seeks the dismissal of the corruption case against the former Illinois congressman Schock, who is charged with misusing government and campaign funds.

Federal court to hear argument in Aaron Schock appeal

A federal appeals court in Chicago will hear oral arguments in the corruption case of U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock as his lawyers seek to have all his charges dismissed. Wednesday's hearing at the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes amid signs parts of the case against the Peoria Republican may be at risk of unraveling.

US court asked to reinstate death sentence in double slaying

The Indiana attorney general's office is asking a federal appeals court to reinstate the death sentence of a man convicted of killing a central Indiana woman and her 4-year-old daughter. The filing asks the full U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to review a January decision from a three-judge panel that found Frederick Baer had ineffective legal counsel during his trial.

Growing signs that Aaron Schock prosecution on shaky ground Source: AP

Growing sympathy for defense arguments, seeming confusion within the team of federal prosecutors and a disgruntled judge are among the signs that key portions of the corruption case against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock may be at risk of unraveling. The question on which the outcome of the Illinois Republican's case may rest - and one an appeals court is currently mulling over - is whether prosecutors based their charges on ambiguous House rules in violation of separation-of-powers clauses in the U.S. Constitution.

a Making of a Murderera case may go to Supreme Court:

A Wisconsin man convicted of murder in the case that was chronicled in the Netflix documentary, "Making of a Murderer," on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to toss out his 2005 confession that his attorneys claim was coerced by investigators, the Washington Post reported. Attorneys for Brendan Dassey, 28, made a similar argument to the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in December and failed.

Illinois governor denies clemency for veteran facing deportation

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has denied clemency for a Chicago veteran who is facing deportation after serving two tours in Afghanistan with the US Army, CNN affiliate WLS reported. "It's not appropriate to go into detail on reason for a decision, but we take every review of clemency and pardon very seriously," Rauner told WLS.

AG Madigan Supports Chicago in DOJ Lawsuit

Attorney General Lisa Madigan, along with 15 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of the City of Chicago in its lawsuit challenging the Department of Justice's efforts to punish so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions by putting immigration-related conditions on federal law enforcement grants. The attorneys general argue that the conditions far exceed DOJ's authority and interfere with the right of states and localities to set their own law enforcement policies.

the Dogs Bark, but the Caravan Moves on: Democrats flail and fail to …

Wednesday, while the media continued to focus on the fallout over the impotency of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in leading the Democrat's unnecessary government shutdown, Republican leaders in the Senate concentrated on the courts. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, moved forward with hearings on President Trump's judicial nominees - including consideration of the president's nominee to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Michael B. Brennan.