College Athletes Can Receive Endorsements

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a measure into law Tuesday that allows college athletes to sign endorsement deals, making Illinois the latest of nearly two dozen states to enact policies allowing student-athletes to profit off the use of their names and likenesses.The signing comes a day before an NCAA vote on a proposal that would institute similar rules for schools nationwide. It also comes less than two weeks after a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruling struck down an NCAA rule prohibiting schools from offering athletes education-related benefits. #collegeathletes,

Traffic Court

Traffic courts hear more cases than any other court. Hundreds of thousands of traffic cases are heard each year in courts throughout Illinois.

Some traffic violations are settled before they reach the court, if the driver pays the fine and simultaneously admits his or her guilt. Choosing to proceed in this manner, however, will usually result in a conviction on the driver's record for the citation.

Frequently, however, the driver will appear in traffic court. Some drivers may desire a court hearing in order to work out a more acceptable negotiated plea. Furthermore, court appearances are mandatory for certain traffic offenses, including driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, and operating a vehicle without a valid driver's license.

Among the most common traffic violations are speeding, running a red light, and failure to provide proof of insurance. Other violations drivers may commit include disobeying the Child Passenger Safety Act; DUI; drag racing; reckless driving; leaving the scene of an accident where property damage, injury or death is involved; fleeing to elude police; and failing to wear a seatbelt while driving. Illinois also recently passed a law prohibiting texting or using a cell phone in any way while driving.#trafficcourt, #traffictickets,

Who Pays For Summer Camp?

Parents with child custody and child support agreements will wonder who is responsible for summer camp expenses.Deciding which parent pays for summer camp depends on if the camp is acting as a day care service. If the parents are using the summer camp while they are working, the activity might be seen as a necessity during divorce proceedings. This means that related expenses will likely be split by both working parents. The costs will be calculated into the overall child support award. The expenses will be based on rates of summer camps and how much the child will attend the activity.If the summer camp is an extracurricular activity, payments will be handled differently because it is not labeled as a necessity. #whopaysfor summer camp, #summercamp,#childsupportagreements,

Driving On Public Or Private Property For DUI

The DUI statute does not specify that a person has to be on a public roadway or highway or on private property in order to be in violation of the statute. Under Illinois law, there is no requirement that a DUI violation must occur on a public roadway or highway in order to be enforceable and under that same principle being on private property is also not a requirement. In short, being on private property does not constitute a defense to the charge of DUI. However, being on private property can be used as a defense against a Statutory Summary Suspension that would normally follow a DUI arrest. The Statutory Summary Suspension can only be invoked if the DUI offense occurred in a public area. #publicroadway, #privateroadway, #statutorysummarysuspension,

Crack Cocaine Reform

       The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that potentially hundreds of low-level crack 

      cocaine offenders cannot benefit under a 2018 federal law that reduced certain prison

      sentences in part to address racial disparities detrimental to black defendants. 

  The justices in an opinion by conservative Justice Clarence Thomas ruled 9-0 against a Florida man named Tarahrick Terry who had asked them to include offenders like him - people who had been arresting in possession of small amounts of crack cocaine - within the scope of the First Step Act signed into law by former President Donald Trump. 

  The First Step Act provision in question made retroactive another 2010 law, called the Fair Sentencing Act, that reduced a disparity that had left sentencing for crack cocaine crimes more severe than for powder cocaine crimes. 

  Black defendants were far more likely to face crack cocaine charges than white defendants, who were more apt to face powder cocaine charges. Terry, scheduled to be released from prison in September, is black. #crackcocainereform,

Illinois Puppy Lemon Law

 The Illinois Puppy Lemon Law does several things:

• Provides a list of information that a pet store must disclose to the consumer prior to selling a dog or a cat
• Requires a pet store to notify the Department of Agriculture (and recent customers in some cases) if there is an outbreak of distemper, parvovirus, or other contagious and potentially life-threatening disease
• Provides a level of protection and financial remedy to consumers who purchase an ill dog or cat from an Illinois pet store #puppylemonlaw,
  
  
  

Cell Phone Violations

 In Illinois a first-time offense of operating a vehicle while using a handheld mobile device will count as a “moving violation.” In other words, a cell phone ticket will appear on a motorist's driving record. #cellphoneviolations, #movingviolation, #handheldmobiledevice,