Courts

A federal judge has sentenced Lamel Johnson, 39, of Bloomington, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

President Biden has nominated an Illinois Wesleyan University graduate to the federal bench. Colleen Lawless is currently an associate circuit judge in Sangamon County. Before that she was a shareholder in a prominent Springfield law firm.

A federal judge has censured lawyers on opposing sides of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former McLean County prosecutor who accused a female co-worker of making unwanted sexual advances during his time with the office.

State Farm is suing Tesla, claiming the electric car company has a faulty electrical system design that can't regulate battery cells. The federal suit filed in Indiana on Feb. 16 claims the defects caused a Tesla Model S to catch fire while parked and charging in a family garage.

Two days after five members of his family were killed in a 2019 mobile home fire in Goodfield, a 9-year-old boy became a suspect in what authorities considered to be a case of arson, a Woodford County detective testified Friday at the minor’s juvenile court hearing on murder charges.

The incoming public guardian for McLean County said the demand on his office has grown significantly in recent years. Current guardian Dan Deneen passes off to Robert Porter next month. Deneen had done the work for 18 years. Porter said the guardian is critical for those who live at the margins.

McLean County associate judge Amy McFarland officially announced her campaign for circuit judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit.

McLean County Circuit Judge Paul Lawrence said Monday he will retire at the end of the year. Lawrence became an associate judge nearly 20 years ago and a full circuit judge in 2012.

A McLean County jury delivered a $9.1 million verdict for a Bloomington family, following the 2019 death of a woman whose pancreatic cancer went undetected for more than two years.

A new report from the Chicago Civic Federation shows most county circuit court clerks in Illinois will lose about 11% of their general fund fee revenue when cash bail is eliminated in 2023. Bond payments can go to a variety of things, including court-ordered fees, fines, restitution, and bond processing fees. It's that last category that helps fund circuit clerk operations.