Author Archives: ChicagolandLawFirm

A suspected drug trafficker will walk thanks to a ruling federal court that Chicago cops violated his Fourth Amendment rights during a 2017 stop-and-frisk operation. Terrence Hammonds spent two years awaiting trial after allegedly spitting out a bag of heroin as he was approached by police, who made the so-called Terry stop based on his brother’s… Read More »

A former attorney convicted in a murder-for-hire scheme will receive a new trial after an appellate court ruled that his request for a different Will County judge should have been granted. According to the panel in the Third District, Daniel Rozlak of the 13th Circuit abused his discretion by failing to step aside after Robert… Read More »

Despite significant declines in number, the majority of stop-and-frisk operations conducted by Chicago cops still disproportionately target minority groups. This according a report by the American Civil Liberties Union that details the impact of reforms to the investigatory stops that the Chicago Police Department uses to combat street crime. Incorporating a package of procedural, training… Read More »

A judge’s correspondence with former colleagues outside of his federal courtroom is enough to undermine more than just the jail term handed an admitted drug dealer, according to a panel of his peers in the Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Judges in Chicago ruled that the gangland leader should be resentenced for a… Read More »

A cop’s verbal challenge can’t be classed as a Constitutional rights violation, even if the response leads to an arrest. This according to judges in federal court, who upheld a Chicago man’s conviction on weapons charges that resulted from a hurried encounter with police in a South Side parking lot. Thanks to priors, David Holly’s… Read More »