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JOHN O'CONNOR.

FILE - A Chicago Transit Authority train pulls into the Damen Ave. station on Aug. 12, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

US appeals court reverses lower court, approves Illinois ban on carrying firearms on public transit

September 3, 2025

A federal appeals court has approved Illinois’ ban on carrying firearms on public transit, reversing a lower court decision that found the prohibition violated the Second Amendment. The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals delivered its opinion on Tuesday. Judge Joshua Kolar wrote in the majority opinion that the Illinois restriction follows “a centuries-old practice of limiting firearms” in confined or crowded conditions. That ruling overturned one from a U.S. District Court in 2024 that relied on a U.S. Supreme Court opinion that restrictions on public weapons must be consistent with those imposed when the Second Amendment was written.

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FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2010 file photo, then-Illinois Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

License plate camera company halts cooperation with federal agencies among investigation concerns

August 25, 2025

A company that installs license plate-detecting cameras to aid law enforcement has halted operations with federal agencies because of ongoing concerns among officials in Illinois and elsewhere. Flock Safety said Monday it paused pilot programs with the Department of Homeland Security aimed at intercepting human traffickers and fentanyl distribution. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced an audit found U.S. Customs and Border Protection gained access to Illinois data. He says it violates a 2023 law that restricts sharing data with police investigating immigration or out-of-state abortions. After another incident in June, Flock Safety installed a process that flags words such as “immigration” and “abortion” on Illinois searches and rejects those requests.

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Longest-serving legislative leader in US history given 7 1/2 years in federal corruption case

June 13, 2025

The longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison on federal corruption charges. Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey in Chicago. Madigan was also fined $2.5 million, the statutory maximum. The 83-year-old Madigan was convicted in February of 10 of 23 counts, including bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud charges. Prosecutors charged that Madigan routinely traded legislation favorable to utility giant ComEd for contracts and no-work jobs for his associates and allies. The government sought a 12 1/2-year sentence for Madigan and a $1.5 million fine. Madigan’s lawyers asked for five years’ probation, community service and a “reasonable” fine.

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FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2010 file photo, then-Illinois Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

Illinois officials investigate license-plate data shared with police seeking woman who had abortion

June 12, 2025

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has asked for an investigation into a suburban Chicago police department for allegedly sharing data from automatic license-plate readers with a Texas sheriff seeking a woman who had an abortion. The police department in Mount Prospect, northwest of Chicago, also provided immigration information to outside agencies. Giannoulias was behind a 2023 law that prohibited sharing data from roadside cameras to police for the purposes of tracking abortion patients or undocumented immigrants. Giannoulias has asked the attorney general to investigate and has set up an audit system to ensure future compliance.

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