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Posted 01 Mar 2021 in Commentary Written by: Deanna Shahnami

March is Women’s History Month!  Since 1995, every U.S. President has issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”  These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of U.S. history in a variety of fields—including the legal field. American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historical contributions to the growth and strength of this country...

Posted 15 Feb 2021 in Commentary Written by: Deanna Shahnami

Since 1976, every United States President has officially recognized and designated February as Black History Month.  As our society and legal profession have become increasingly aware of historic inequities that still impact people of color and in particular—Black Americans and Canadians—IMLA is committed to providing our members resources that highlight those inequities through our Diversity and Inclusion Section. To celebrate Black History Month, IMLA would like to honor all black lawyers and legal professionals in our membership.  Among our members, IMLA...

Posted 01 Feb 2021 in Commentary Written by: Deanna Shahnami

If you would like to view the article from the Illinois Bar Journal, please click here. Illinois COVID-19 Restrictions and First Amendment Rights. America’s fight against its invisible opponent, COVID-19, is ongoing. In response to COVID-19, communities, state, and local officials continue to issue, extend, and modify emergency orders to stop the spread. These authorities are exercised in a variety of measures, including mask mandates and stay-at-home orders. These orders, often incorporating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, include...

Posted 28 Jan 2021 in Commentary Written by: Joshua H. Grabar

Securities class action plaintiffs amassed $2 billion in settlements in 2019.  An average of 224 new federal securities class actions were filed each year between 1997 and 2019, with 428 filed in 2019 alone. [1] In fact, the total financial recovery from settled securities class actions in roughly that same time frame, 1996 to present, is $104,371,151,287 – yes, over $104 billion. [2] In securities class actions, plaintiffs bring a suit as a class seeking compensation from defendants for damages...

Posted 04 Dec 2020 in Case Summaries (eNews), Commentary Written by: Erich Eiselt

Hines v. Quillivan, no. 19-40605  (5th Cir. Dec. 2, 2020). Reversing and remanding on the dismissal of a First Amendment claim but affirming dismissal of an Equal Protection claim, the Fifth Circuit finds Texas' prohibition against veterinarians providing telemedicine advice unless they have actually seen the animal in question-even though medical doctors are not bound by that restriction-is supported by rational basis. This opinion opens with the question presented: "Does a veterinarian have a right to engage in telemedicine for a pet...

Posted 01 Dec 2020 in Case Notes, Commentary Written by: Amanda Karras

The day before Thanksgiving, the Supreme Court issued a per curiam (unsigned) 5-4 opinion enjoining New York from imposing its 10 and 25-person occupancy limits on religious institutions.  Specifically, New York imposed restrictions on attendance at religious services in areas classified as “red” or “orange” zones in the State. In red zones, no more than 10 persons may attend each religious service, and in orange zones, attendance is capped at 25.  Religious entities in the state challenged the order claiming...

Posted 06 Oct 2020 in Case Notes, Commentary Written by: Amanda Karras

Today, in a great victory for the City of Nashville and IMLA, the Sixth Circuit decided that Nashville did not violate the First Amendment when it fired a 9-11 dispatcher who used a racially offensive slur in the context of the 2016 election in a public Facebook post that identified her as an employee of the City.  The parties all agreed that her post was on a matter of public concern given the broader context of the election even though...

Posted 10 Aug 2020 in Commentary Written by: Erich Eiselt

Mays v. Governor, no. 157335 (Mi. July 29, 2020). In a 4-2 opinion affirming the courts below, the Michigan Supreme Court declined to dismiss a class action for inverse condemnation and bodily harm against former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and other state and local officials for their actions which resulted in toxic water from the Flint River being supplied  to Flint residents, causing a major health crisis, damage to residential water systems and a precipitous drop in property values. For more than...

Posted 27 Jul 2020 in Case Notes, Commentary Written by: Amanda Karras

On Friday night, the Supreme Court denied a request for an injunction by a church in Nevada seeking to hold in person services on the same terms as other facilities in the State, including casinos.  The order limits religious gatherings to 50 people while allowing restaurants and casinos to operate as 50% capacity. The majority that denied the injunction offered no written opinion accompanying its decision (which is not unusual for this type of request), but Justice Alito (joined by Justices...

Posted 09 Jul 2020 in Case Notes, Commentary Written by: Amanda Karras

Today, in a 5-4 decision, in McGirt v. Oklahoma, the Supreme Court held that a large swath of eastern Oklahoma, including most of the city of Tulsa, is “Indian country” for the purposes of the Major Crimes Act (MCA).  In a decision that was as much a history lesson as a debate over statutory text and interpretation, the majority concluded that Congress never disestablished the Creek Nation reservation in Oklahoma and therefore, the state of Oklahoma lacked jurisdiction to criminally...