Antonia Ayres-Brown –

Melissa Picciola, director of volunteer services at Legal Aid Chicago, is seen in the organization's downtown Chicago offices on May 8, 2020.

Legal aid organizations strained by increase in pandemic-related cases, including domestic violence, unemployment claims

May 11, 2020 at 1:00 a.m.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Chicago, attorneys who offer legal work to the poor say they have seen a significant rise in people seeking assistance with domestic violence and unemployment...

Illinois bar exam delayed, and now law students seeking jobs and path to pay off loans face major complications

May 2, 2020 at 12:29 p.m.

Meagan Robinson, a third-year student at DePaul University's College of Law, began studying for the Illinois bar exam in January, hoping the extra months of preparation would help her ace...

Dozens pray for churches to reopen outside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago on May 1, 2020.

After rural church files federal lawsuit, ‘free exercise of religion’ is a permitted essential activity under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s modified stay-at-home order

May 1, 2020 at 8:26 p.m.

On the same day a northwest Illinois church filed a federal lawsuit accusing Gov. J.B. Pritzker of religious discrimination, the governor's office released a modified stay-at-home order that expressly allows...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives to speak April 19, 2020 at the Thompson Center during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rural Illinois church files lawsuit accusing Gov. J.B. Pritzker of relegating people of faith to ‘second-class citizenship’ by shuttering churches

April 30, 2020 at 3:20 p.m.

Resistance to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's extension of his statewide stay-at-home order grew Thursday, with a church in northwest Illinois filing a federal lawsuit contending that Pritzker's executive actions have demonstrated...

Rep. John Cabello appears at a hearing in Chicago in 2017. He's the second representative to file a lawsuit challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzker's stay-at-home order.

Second lawsuit from GOP state representative accuses Gov. J.B. Pritzker of creating a ‘police state’ with stay-at-home order

April 29, 2020 at 7:54 p.m.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's extension of a statewide stay-at-home order continued to face pushback Wednesday, with a second Republican state lawmaker challenging the order in a lawsuit accusing the governor of...

Sen. Melinda Bush, shown in 2017, is co-sponsoring a measure aimed at overhauling the state's redistricting process.

As deadline to pass constitutional amendment looms, Illinois lawmakers fear missed opportunity for redistricting reform

April 28, 2020 at 1:19 p.m.

After years of unsuccessful legislative and citizen-led efforts to strip the General Assembly of the power to draw congressional and legislative district boundaries, the coronavirus shutdown appears to have doomed...

Justin Reyes administers a COVID-19 test to Maria Suarez outside Heartland Health Centers in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood on July 10, 2020.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order will remain in place through May 29. But changes are coming. Here’s what you need to know.

May 1, 2020 at 11:40 a.m.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he will extend his statewide stay-at-home order, previously set to expire April 30, through May 29, while at the same time easing some of the restrictions...

My Mindful Birth owner and midwife Isabelle Guillou examines baby Groovy, born at home March 16 to mother Savannah Fedi, during a visit on April 19, 2020, in Downers Grove. Guillou and her assistant Shelli Mullins delivered the baby girl.

Illinois midwives face surge of interest in home birth during coronavirus pandemic

May 8, 2020 at 3:33 p.m.

In normal times, My Mindful Birth, a home birth midwifery practice in Naperville, received one or two inquiries a day from expectant mothers. But when news of the COVID-19 pandemic...

A dog is walked across empty Chicago Avenue in the River North neighborhood on April 21, 2020.

As Gov. J.B. Pritzker says COVID-19 won’t peak in Illinois until mid-May, Mayor Lori Lightfoot predicts statewide stay-at-home order could extend into June

April 21, 2020 at 8:55 p.m.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is now saying the new coronavirus pandemic may not peak in Illinois until mid-May, while Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday predicted the state's stay-at-home order could extend...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker strolls with Shedd Aquarium penguins, chastises fish in latest ‘All in Illinois’ video to encourage social distancing

April 17, 2020 at 11:58 a.m.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker released a video Friday for the "All in Illinois" campaign featuring a new celebrity cohort — the animals at Shedd Aquarium. In the video, Pritzker strolls around...

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