LJC In The News
Same-Day Voter Registration at Issue in Illinois Lawsuit
(San Diego Union Tribune)—A federal lawsuit has raised questions about whether Illinois’ new Election Day voter registration rules are constitutional, a situation that could complicate how polling sites are run this November. Illinois tested same-day registration in the 2014 governor’s race, with all election authorities required to offer it in...
Lawsuit Filed over SEIU Representation
(State Journal-Register)—A new federal lawsuit has been filed saying that child care providers and home caregivers are having their First Amendment rights violated by being forced into a labor union. The lawsuit, filed by the Liberty Justice Center and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, is seeking to...
Caregivers Sue to Block Union Bond
(Chicago Daily Law Bulletin)—Six caregivers filed a lawsuit today accusing the state of Illinois of trampling on their First Amendment rights by requiring them to accept union representation against their will.The state is violating their rights to free association and to petition the government by granting a particular union —...
Inside the Legal Challenge to Chicago’s 9 Percent Netflix Tax
(Motherboard Vice)—The city of Chicago has little to do with how its residents stream Netflix, Hulu, or Spotify, play Xbox Live, or use Amazon Prime. So why are its residents paying the city a 9 percent tax to use those services? A newly filed lawsuit may help determine whether cities...
Netflix and Amazon Users Sue to Stop Chicago’s 9% Streaming Tax
(Fortune)—It’s on. Subscribers to popular streaming services, including XBox Live and Spotify, have filed a lawsuit that claims the city of Chicago’s controversial tax policy on digital entertainment is illegal. The challenge to the tax policy, filed last week in Cook County state court, is important because it could help...
City of Chicago Sued for ‘Trying to Sneak in’ a Nine Per Cent ‘Netflix Tax’ on Streaming Websites including Spotify and Amazon Prime
(Daily Mail)—The City of Chicago is being sued for allegedly attempting to sneak in a nine per cent ‘amusement tax’ on streaming sites like Netflix, Spotify and Amazon Prime. A lawsuit filed against the Illinois city claims it had no legal right to bring in the levy which could lead...
Chicago’s Tax of Netflix, Spotify Subscriptions Challenged in Court
(Hollywood Reporter)—Legal group says city can’t levy Netflix’s video streaming service if the tax does not apply to the video-by-mail service. The City of Chicago’s recent move to extend its 9 percent “amusement tax” to streaming services is an abuse of authority, claims the Liberty Justice Center in a lawsuit...
Unions Battle for Survival in Key Strongholds as Court Cases Challenge Forced Dues
(Fox News)—The future of public and private unions in two big labor-friendly states may be at stake as foes mount aggressive legal challenges over the long-controversial practice of mandatory dues. The court cases in Illinois and California revolve around so-called “fair share” payments, or the dues unions extract from workers...
Looking Back at Downers Grove’s Biggest Stories in 2014
(My Suburban Life)—What happened: The village is enforcing a new sign ordinance after a nine-year grace period. The ordinance only allows business signs to face driveable right-of-ways, like roads, and not train tracks, like the Metra/BNSF line. The ordinance also doesn’t allow painted wall signs outside downtown. Robert Peterson’s Leibundguth...
At Issue: Money and Politics
(WTVP)—On the April 17, 2014 edition of Peoria PBS station WTVP’s At Issue, LJC’s Jacob Huebert debated David Melton of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform on whether the government should limit contributions to political campaigns.
...City to Change Party Bus, Taxi Regulations after Judge’s Ruling
(Pantagraph)—The city will look to change its rules for licensing party buses and other vehicles for hire rather than appeal a judge’s ruling last week that its current rules are unconstitutional. The city also will grant Julie Crowe the right to operate her late-night shuttle business if she provides proof...
City’s Rules for Licensing Vehicles-for-Hire Ruled Unconstitutional
(Pantagraph)—The city’s rules for licensing vehicles-for-hire is unconstitutional and the city violated a shuttle owner’s rights when it denied her a chance to run her business, a McLean County judge has ruled. Julie Crowe sued the city in February 2012 after she was denied a a “certificate of convenience” that...
Doughnuts Fight City Hall – in Evanston
(Grub Street)—Evanston has generally seemed more hospitable to food trucks than Chicago— Evanston’s HummingBird Kitchen was the one truck that could run around actually cooking on board before the passage of the new Chicago food truck ordinance. But Evanston has its own quirky protectionist rules— and now one food truck...
Evanston Law Spurs Food Fight
(NBC 5 Chicago)—Mobile restaurant owners have hit a road block in Evanston. Instead of putting on the breaks, two mobile food truck owners are heading full force into a political food fight as the Liberty Justice Center, a public interest litigation center, sues the City of Evanston for not allowing...