A Weapon Can Be Removed By A Judge

The Illinois governor signed a law that allows police officers, family members or others to petition a court to remove weapons from a person who is suffering from mental health or other problems and can be shown to pose a threat of violence. A judge could order removal of the weapons for as long as six months

Medical Cannabis at School

Illinois has a new law that would allow children access to medical cannabis at school .

This law would allow parents to come into their child's school and administer a "cannabis-infused product"  on school property or a school bus if both parent and child have been cleared by the state's medical marijuana law and medical cannabis products have been prescribed to their child by a doctor. 

Conor's Law

A new DUI law takes effect in June of 2018, also known as Conor's law.

 

Before Conor's law, any person arrested for DUI in Illinois could be released after posting bond.

 

Once Conor's law takes effect, police can detain anyone under 21 arrested for DUI until the person is sober or a responsible adult picks them up.

OUI

If you are behind the wheel of a boat while intoxicated, you can be charged with operating under the influence, or OUI..

An OUI charge is a lot like a drunk driving charge. It is governed under Illinois law, which pertains to “operating a watercraft under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, intoxicating compound or compounds, or combination thereof.”

 

If you are convicted of operating under the influence and it is your first offense, you could be found guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. There are other factors that may enhance the charge to a Class 4 felony or a Class 2 felony which carries even more serious penalties. In addition your boating privileges may be suspended. You may be a candidate for supervision.  

Supreme Court Upholds Travel Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries and rejecting the argument that it represented unconstitutional religious discrimination.

The 5-4 ruling, with the court's five conservatives in the majority, ended a fierce fight in the courts over whether the policy amounted to an unlawful Muslim ban. Trump can now claim vindication after lower courts had blocked his travel ban announced in September, as well as two prior versions, in legal challenges brought by the state of Hawaii and others.

The court held that the challengers had failed to show that the ban violates either U.S. immigration law or the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment prohibition on the government favoring one religion over another.

Warrant Required For Access To Cellphone Data

The U.S. Supreme Court imposed limits on the ability of police to obtain cellphone data pinpointing the past location of criminal suspects in a victory for digital privacy advocates and a setback for law enforcement authorities.

In the 5-4 ruling, the court said police generally need a court-approved warrant to get access to the data, setting a higher legal hurdle than previously existed under federal law. The court said obtaining such data without a warrant from wireless carriers, as police routinely do, amounts to an unreasonable search and seizure under the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment.

Medical pot as a painkiller substitute

     Illinois lawmakers have approved a measure not only to allow medical marijuana to be used in place of prescription painkillers, but also to eliminate requirements for patients to get fingerprints and criminal background checks.
     The change would allow all new applicants to buy medical marijuana from licensed dispensaries based on their doctor's orders, rather than having to wait up to four months for bureaucratic approval.  Patients could no longer be denied based on criminal convictions. This bill has not yet been signed into law.