Late last year a federal judge ruled that the tax sale system used by Cook County is unconstitutional, violating both the Fifth Amendment and Eighth Amendment. Cook County conducts an annual sale for properties with...more
2/11/2026
/ Class Action ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Eighth Amendment ,
Excessive Fines Clause ,
Fifth Amendment ,
Property Owners ,
Property Tax ,
SCOTUS ,
State and Local Government ,
Takings Clause ,
Tax Liens ,
Tax Sales
Takeaway: Public bodies should treat a FOIA request as “received” the moment it enters their email system, not when it is discovered after being quarantined, filtered, or otherwise delayed internally. To avoid missing...more
2/6/2026
/ Appellate Courts ,
Deadlines ,
Email ,
Email Policies ,
FOIA ,
Government Agencies ,
Information Governance ,
Public Agencies ,
Records Request ,
State and Local Government ,
Statutory Deadlines ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Third-Party Service Provider
Takeaway: The PAC held that a village board violated the Open Meetings Act by improperly interfering with a resident’s public comment, including by prohibiting her from naming trustees and prematurely cutting off her remarks....more
On November 21, 2025, the Governor signed into law a bill that modifies the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), the Open Meetings Act (“OMA”), and the Local Records Act. Now referred to as Public Act 104-0438 (the “Act”),...more
12/8/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Election Laws ,
FOIA ,
Information Governance ,
New Legislation ,
Open Meetings Act ,
Phishing Scams ,
Public Policy ,
Public Records ,
State and Local Government ,
Transparency