The public employees in Janus v. AFSCME have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the state of Illinois from forcing workers to pay union fees as a condition of government employment.
As the federal government repeals regulations requiring broadband companies to obtain consumers’ consent before using their browsing history and other personal information to create targeted ads, Illinois state politicians are moving to ramp up privacy protections. However, whether these bills would actually further those privacy goals or whether they would merely bolster Illinois’ class-action lawsuit industry while burdening businesses are open questions.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has held that face templates created from photographs uploaded to Google Photos are covered under Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act.
A federal district court in New York has determined the mere violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act does not amount to an injury sufficient to allow video game players to sue in federal court.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is seeking a court order to stop paychecks to state employees. Many speculate she is trying to force the General Assembly into a budget deal – one that would be bad for Illinoisans. But the General Assembly doesn’t have to be bullied into a bad budget deal. It can pass an appropriations measure to fund state worker payrolls and keep government from shutting down.
Although the battle for the budget drags on, there were several important legislative wins for Illinoisans in 2016 including criminal justice reform, averting tax hikes, and stopping Madigan’s agenda in the lame duck session.
In her Dec. 5 ruling, a Cook County Circuit Court judge said Chicago’s oppressive food truck regulations serve legitimate city interests. But evidence shows the only interests the rules protect are those of politically connected restaurant owners and politicians.