Today, in Bostock v. Clayton County, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and transgender status in the workplace. The […]
New OMA Requirements for Virtual Meetings Are Now Law
June 15, 2020
On Friday, June 12, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Public Act 101-640, which, among other things, amends the Open Meetings Act to allow public bodies to hold virtual board meetings without the physical presence of a majority of a quorum of members during a disaster declaration relating to public health […]
Originally posted on our Title IX Insights Blog. For anyone taking the ostrich approach to the Department of Education’s Title IX regulations—sticking their heads in the sand and hoping that a lawsuit will come along to blow these pesky regulations away—there may be […]
A Message to Our Community
June 12, 2020
Over the last few months, amid a pandemic impacting the globe, racism has taken center stage. We’ve witnessed the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. These are just a few of the names we know. Countless others have escaped national attention but were witnessed and grieved by their families and communities.
Jennifer Smith Quoted By RealClearInvestigations
June 11, 2020
Jennifer Smith was quoted in an article published by RealClearInvestigations regarding the legal representation in investigations of sexual misconduct involving school children. In addressing the new Title IX rules and regulations, particularly the narrowing definition of inappropriate sexual behavior, Jennifer […]
On Friday, June 5, 2020, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0633, which amends the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act to create a rebuttable presumption that a first-responder or essential worker who contracts COVID-19 did so in the course of […]
PAC Issues Further Decisions on Public Comment and Participation for Remote Meetings Under OMA
June 10, 2020
As discussed in previous alerts posted on March 16 and March 18, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker passed an Executive Order suspending certain Open Meetings Act (OMA) requirements in the wake of COVID-19. Since the issuance of the Executive Order, the […]
By executive order on June 4, 2020, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker authorized all public and nonpublic preK-12 schools the state to reopen after the completion of the 2019-2020 school term for limited educational purposes such as summer school. With that […]