Illinois Secretary of State extends license expiration dates until June 1st

To avoid congestion at your local DMV facility during the COVID Pandemic, Jesse White, the Illinois Secretary of State, has announced that drivers license and permit expiration dates will be extended until June 1st. I am told that this will include Restricted Driving Permits (RDPs).

Also, according to their website:

Additionally, White stressed that many transactions can be conducted online at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com instead of waiting at a Driver Services facility. Some of these services include:

•Renewing a license plate sticker;•Renewing a valid driver’s license for qualifying drivers;

•Renewing a valid ID card for those age 22-64 (seniors 65 and older have free, non-expiring IDs);

•Obtaining a driver record abstract;

•Filing Business Services documents, such as incorporations and annual reports; and

•Customers with issues involving administrative hearings may contact adminhearings@ilsos.gov.

In an effort to reduce facility visits for in-person service, White has expanded online renewals for driver’s licenses and ID cards. Not everyone qualifies, particularly those who are required to pass a written or road test. For qualifying drivers, individuals will receive a letter with a unique PIN approximately 90 days before the expiration date. The PIN is required to renew online. For more information on determining one’s eligibility for online renewal, visit http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com and click on “Read more on how to renew your driver’s license or ID card online” near the top of the main page.

Harold Wallin Selected as one of Chicago’s Three Best DUI Attorneys

Three Best Rated, the internet business rating site, has again selected Harold L. Wallin as one of Chicago’s Three Best Rated DUI attorneys. This is the seventh consecutive year that Mr. Wallin has been selected – the only attorney to make the list each year.

Chicago Police to conduct DUI saturation patrol tonight in the Grand Crossing District

The Chicago Police Department has announced a “DUI Saturation Patrol” tonight in the south side Grand Crossing District. From their website:

Chief Judge Evans names new Presiding Judges of Criminal, Traffic and County Divisions

From the Cook County Court website:

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced the appointments of three new acting presiding judges to head the Criminal, County and Traffic Divisions. 

The appointments include historic firsts for the Circuit Court. Honorable Erica L. Reddick becomes the first woman to head the court’s Criminal Division, replacing Judge LeRoy K. Martin, Jr., who has moved to the state’s appellate court. Honorable Sanjay T. Tailor will become the new acting presiding judge of the County Division, following the retirement of Judge Sharon Sullivan. Judge Tailor will be the state’s first Asian-American presiding judge. Honorable Diann K. Marsalek, currently Supervising Judge of the First Municipal District’s Traffic Court (Chicago), will take on the newly-created role of acting presiding judge over all traffic judges in Cook County. 

In my opinion, each of these Judges are superb and great choices to be Presiding Judges. Judge Marsalek has done an excellent job as Supervising Judge of the Chicago Traffic Court, and Cook County will be well served by giving her additional responsibilities over this newly formed Division (previously the Chicago Traffic Court was part of the First Municipal District, which also includes civil cases with values under $30,000, evictions, and Chicago misdemeanor cases as well as some other miscellaneous cases).

Judge Reddick is one one of the brightest and most knowledgeable judges in Cook County. The only negative to having her promoted to Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division is that she will no longer be hearing cases on a regular basis.

I have only limited experience with Judge Tailor, but he has a wonderful reputation and is highly regarded.

Congratulations to each!

Raiders’ running back Josh Jacobs arrested for DUI after crash

Update: On January 11, 2021, ProFootballTalk.com reported that Jacobs will NOT be charged with DUI, he will only be cited with failure to exercise due care.

From ProFootballTalk.com:

Less than 12 hours after scoring the winning touchdown in his team’s season finale in Denver, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was back in Las Vegas and getting arrested for driving under the influence.

According to multiple reports, Jacobs was arrested for DUI after a single vehicle crash in Las Vegas at approximately 4:40 a.m.

The Raiders’ game at Denver ended at 4:54 p.m. Las Vegas time on Sunday, so less than 12 hours passed between Jacobs playing in the game and getting the DUI.

According to the report, Jacobs was taken to a hospital for minor injuries from the crash before he was booked for the DUI.

Jacobs carried 15 times for 89 yards and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the 32-31 win over the Broncos.

Former Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno charged with DUI after striking 8 cars and being 4 times the legal limit

From the Chicago Tribune:

Former Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno was charged with DUI and reckless driving after his Audi rammed and sideswiped at least eight cars along four blocks of a street in the Gold Coast before smashing into a tree Sunday night…

A police report indicated Moreno’s blood alcohol level was 0.32%, or four times the legal limit…

On Sunday night, police say, Moreno was driving a 2017 Audi A6 that hit a parked car in the 1500 block of North Astor, not far from where Gov. J.B. Pritzker lives. The Audi then struck four more cars in the 1300 and 1200 blocks, police said.

The Audi was then thrown in reverse and sped backward, a door attendant and other witnesses told police. It hit the front of one car, knocking it onto the sidewalk, and struck two more cars before turning onto Division Street, where it crashed into a tree, police said.

Moreno has been charged with four misdemeanors.

Read the entire story here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-former-alderman-gold-coast-crash-20201228-zdfp3ield5edrg4xaxtcywfcqm-story.html

DuPage County continues all traffic cases previously scheduled for January, bars all in-person criminal or traffic trials until March

The Chief Judge of DuPage County has entered two new orders, designed to significantly limit the number of people entering the courthouse during this “dark COVID winter.”

First, as to traffic cases:

All matters currently.assigned into the traffic courts with court dates on or between January 4th, 2021 and January 29th,2021 shall be rescheduled. The Circuit Court Clerk shall reschedule these matters to a future court date at least 28 days from the originally scheduled court date. The rescheduled dates can be viewed by attorneys at eaccess.18thjudicial.org (eaccess) and the general public at epay.18thjudicial.org (epay). The Circuit Clerk will also notifu litigants and witnesses of the next court date by mail.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, as a result of rescheduling these matters, all traffic courts will be closed from January 4th, 2021through and including January 29th, 2021.

As for trials:

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that no jury trials in any division shall be conducted before March 1, 2021.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that no in-person bench trials or evidentiary hearings requiring witness testimony shall be conducted in the Felony or Misdemeanor Divisions (except for Summary Suspension Hearings) before March 1, 2021.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that in-person trials or extended hearings in the Domestic Relations Division may proceed only if the matter is determined to exigent by the judge presiding over the case. Exigent matters in Domestic Relations are cases which require immediate action or are urgent and in need of immediate relief regarding parenting issues or economic issues which if left unattended could cause irreparable harm to the parties or marital estate.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that in-person bench trials in the Law and Chancery Divisions may proceed in the sole discretion of the judge presiding over the case.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that judges will reschedule trials to a future trial or status date pursuant to this Administrative Order.

The Order further states that:

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that such continuances shall be excluded from speedy trial computations contained in section 103.5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (725 ILCS 5/103-5 (West 2018)) and section 5-601 of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act (705 ILCS 405/5-601 (West 2018)). Statutory time restrictions in section 103-5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 and section 5-601 of the Juvenile Court Act shall be tolled until further order of this Court. This provision also applies when a trial is delayed when the Court determines proper distancing and facilities limitations prevent the trial from proceeding safely. The judge in the case must find that such limitations necessitated the delay and shall make a record thereof.

Tony La Russa gets early Christmas present: DUI reduced to reckless driving

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor reckless driving charge, and an Arizona judge gave him one day of home detention.

The judge also ordered La Russa to pay a $1,383 fine and serve 20 hours of community sentence during a telephonic hearing that resolved the driving-under-the-influence case that went public shortly after La Russa’s hire this fall.

From the Chicago Tribune:

“I brought this on myself,” La Russa said during a conference call Monday. “I feel a deep remorse and regret over what I did.

“Obviously I displayed bad judgement that night in February. I am grateful for the White Sox for standing by me, even though this happened before they hired me. I really feel like I let them down and many others. My family, friends, and I think starting out in Chicago, I’ve let the fans down.

“I think about fans in Oakland and St. Louis, many of them became friends, and now starting again in Chicago, it’s not the way I wanted to start my relationship the second time around.”

After the conference call, the Sox issued a statement, which read: “With today’s announcement, Tony La Russa accepted responsibility and has been held legally accountable for his poor behavior and the questionable choices he made last February. The White Sox understand the anger and concern expressed by some about hiring Tony under these circumstances.

“Tony has expressed to us his remorse, and he understands he brought this on himself.

“We understand that people make mistakes and exercise poor judgment in life. In this case, Tony is fortunate his decisions that night did not injure himself or anyone else. We also believe people deserve the opportunity, at all points in their lives, to improve. Tony knows there is no safety net below him. There cannot be a third strike.

White Sox Manager Tony La Russa reaches plea deal, DUI reduced to reckless driving

From the Athletic:

“Last Wednesday night, La Russa’s attorney Larry Kazan submitted a plea agreement to the Maricopa County Justice Court. The agreement calls upon La Russa to plead guilty to a charge of reckless driving, a class 2 misdemeanor, as opposed to driving under the influence.

A copy of the agreement, acquired by The Athletic, comes with the terms that La Russa will serve a day in jail, but stipulates that the state is not opposed to work release or home detention if La Russa qualifies and a judge approves. A Maricopa County Justice Courts spokesperson indicated that a mandatory day in jail is typical for DUI offenses, but it will be determined at the Dec. 21 hearing if that requirement will be necessary for La Russa’s plea of reckless driving, which is a lesser charge.

La Russa would also be required by the agreement to pay a $1,383 fine, as well as all incarceration costs, and complete 20 hours of community restitution.

The agreement has been submitted in advance of La Russa’s Dec. 21 change of plea hearing, and a Maricopa County judge will still have to sign off on the agreement before it’s official. La Russa will be required to call into the telephonic court hearing, and submit signed paperwork and his fingerprints.”

The reduction in charges is important because it avoids both harsher second offense penalties, both in Arizona and license revocation issues in Illinois.

Almost all Markham courthouse cases for the rest of December will be automatically continued due to COVID crisis

After two Markham courthouse Judges tested positive for COVID-19, Presiding Judge Tommy Brewer has ordered all cases for the rest of December (with a few exceptions, see below) to be given automatic continuances. I am posting the Order along with the continuance dates.