Candice Jackson, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights’ Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, recently provided a “new internal guidance” memorandum to staff that significantly changes the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) protocols for investigating civil rights […]
IL Supreme Court Rules IHSA Not Subject to FOIA
June 15, 2017
The FOIA litigation saga continues as the Illinois Supreme Court in Better Government Association v. IHSA ruled in favor of the athletic association and High School District 230, holding that the records requested are not public records subject to the Freedom […]
U.S. Supreme Court Finds that Retirement Plans Sponsored by Religious Hospitals Are Exempt from ERISA
June 8, 2017
The United States Supreme Court has ruled that retirement plans sponsored by church-affiliated organizations, such as hospitals, are exempt from ERISA. ERISA’s “church plan exemption” provides that a retirement plan that is “established and maintained” by a church is exempt […]
Transgender High School Student Prevails in Bathroom Access Case Before Federal Appellate Court Over Illinois
June 8, 2017
In an opinion issued last week, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decided in favor of a transgender student who challenged his high school’s decision to limit his access to boys’ communal bathrooms. Ash Whitaker, a high school senior, brought […]
Today the Chicago Tribune published a three-part series of investigative reporting on the Cook County property tax system and the appeals process entitled “The Tax Divide”. Tribune reporters are examining 1) how the tax burden is allocated between more and less affluent […]
Senate Votes to Revoke Department of Labor Guidance on State-Run Retirement Plans for Private Sector Employees
May 18, 2017
In yet another move to roll-back regulatory guidance issued during the Obama administration, earlier this month the U.S. Senate voted to revoke a final rule and associated interpretive guidance that the Department of Labor issued in 2016 that would have […]
Recently the Second District Appellate Court issued an opinion holding that the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) applied to certain records in the possession of the College of DuPage Foundation, a 501(c)(3) entity separate from the College of DuPage. […]
The Public Access Counselor recently issued a non-binding opinion holding that public bodies have the discretion to decide whether to waive or reduce copying fees associated with the production of documents responsive to FOIA requests. The request, in this case, sought documents […]