The U.S. and Illinois constitutions guarantee the accused the right to a speedy trial. A defendant not tried within the appropriate period is entitled to release from custody and dismissal of the charges. But can the right to a speedy trial be extended by the judiciary as an exercise in public health and welfare? The question is pursued by attorney Donald J. Ramsell in his December 2020 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Bad Timing.”

The ISBA formally adopted a Resolution in Honor of Justice Karmeier and a Resolution in Honor of

The Illinois Supreme Court issued one opinion on December 17. In Barrall v. The Board of Trustees of John A. Logan Community College, the court interpreted a provision in the Public Community College Act governing the “bumping rights” of laid-off tenured faculty members.

Longtime ISBA member John Phipps was posthumously awarded the ISBA's Medial of Merit—the ISBA's highest honor—during the Assembly meeting on Dec. 11. The award is reserved for attorneys whose accomplishments are truly exemplary. The medal is awarded to ISBA members who have made a significant contribution to the altruistic goals of the profession or the public.