A new law calls for punishing repeat gun offenders with longer prison sentences.

A new law designed to crack down on repeat gun offenders became effective in Illinois.  It changes gun sentencing laws so that instead of a range of 3 to 14 yeas for some repeat gun crimes, judges would hand our sentences of 7 to 14 years. A judge who decides to depart from that guideline will need to explain why.  It is designed to help reduce crime in the city of Chicago.

Pet custody in divorce proceedings

A bill sent to Governor Rainer is set to decide whether divorce proceedings may assign sole or joint custody of a companion animal if it is deemed a marital asset and the well-being of the pet is considered.  The bill pertains only to cats, dogs and horses.

Drug and alcohol tests for police

A new law expected to be signed by Governor Rauner would require law enforcement agencies to administer drug and alcohol tests after an officer involved shooting that injured or killed someone. The tests would have to be completed before the end of the officer's shift or tour of duty.

Expunge juvenile court records

A proposed new law in Illinois would expand the automatic expungement of juvenile court records and increase confidentiality protections. The bill acknowledges that teenagers make mistakes and ensures those decisions do not affect the rest of  their lives.

Do police need a warrant for cellphone location records?

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether police need to obtain a search warrant to obtain past location data for a suspect’s cellphone.

The American Civil Liberties Union asked the Supreme Court to hear the case on behalf of its client, Timothy Carpenter, a convicted armed robber. During Carpenter’s trial, prosecutors introduced cell tower records showing he was in the area where four of the crimes took place.

Police had obtained the records under the Stored Communications Act, which does not require a showing of probable cause. The law authorizes release of records when there are “specific and articulable facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe” the records are “are relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation.”