St. Louis Legal Issues Blog

The Federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act ("the Act") requires prisons to provide their inmates with meat that does not substantially burden their ability to practice religion.  In the case of a muslim inmate, serving 225 years for murder, this means providing him with Kosher meat, which he has accepted as an alternative to keeping Halal.  The U.S. Seventh Circuit relied on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby in ruling that the act prohibits prisons from imposing a substantial burden on the practice of religion by refusing to provide Kosher meat to a practising muslim under these circumstances. Roman Lee Jones v. Robert E. Carter, jr., commissioner, Indiana Department of Corrections.  (U.S. 7th Cir., Feb 15, 2019).

When you rush out of the house to go to work, pick up the kids from practice or get to the store before it closes, you might not always click your seat belt. Especially if you are staying close to home or not getting on the highway, you might think it is not a big deal.

Yet, you are probably familiar with Illinois’ “Click It or Ticket” campaign. And you likely always buckle your children into their seats correctly. However, if you are not in the habit of wearing your own safety belt, it might be good to think about the consequences you could face.

Driving during the winter months is a challenge for many motorists. It is important that you continue to use the safety practices that can help you get home safe. Unfortunately, not all drivers will do the same. You can't control them, but you can control what you do, so be sure to remember these points before you leave home.

One of the most important things to do is make sure that you leave plenty of time to get to your destination. Trying to rush when there is wintry precipitation or if the roads are slippery can lead to accidents that could have been prevented. Remember that you might have to drive considerably slower than the speed limit when you are on roads that aren't perfectly clear.

Illinois law allows for gun permits (FOID Cards) if the applicant (a) isn't likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety (b) issuance of the permit would not be contrary to the public interest and (c) granting the permit would not be contrary to Federal Law.  The Federal Gun Control Act generally prohibits felons from possessing Firearms, unless their Civil Rights have been restored.  The Illinois Appellate Court held that a convicted felon met this requirement because he had his civil rights restored when he successfullly completed his probation sentence and was again elgible to serve on a jury.  The FOID applicant had been convicted of burglary and theft more than 20 years ago when he was sentenced to time served and probation.  While he was serving the probation sentence he was not elgible to serve on a jury.  When he completed that sentence he was again elgible to serve on a jury.  The Court found that this constituted restoration of his civil rights and thus fell within the exception to the Federal Gun Control Act.  Pournaras v. People (Illinois Appellate Court, 3rd dist., Nov. 13, 2018)