Illinois Quick Hits: Justice Department moves against Evanston reparations program

Spread the love

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a motion to intervene in a civil rights lawsuit challenging Evanston’s reparations program.

Judicial Watch filed the class action suit in May 2024, challenging Evanston’s use of race as an eligibility requirement for the program making $25,000 direct cash payments to Black residents and descendants of Black residents who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969.

The Justice Department’s proposed complaint in intervention names the city of Evanston as a defendant and alleges that the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Fair Housing Act.

PRITZKER SIGNS MEDICAID OMNIBUS

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation that provides $110 million in state taxpayer funds during fiscal year 2027 to expand and invest in Medicaid services.

According to a statement from the governor’s office, Senate Bill 3365 builds a foundation to protect patients in anticipation of federal legislation impacting the health care system in Illinois.

SUBURBAN MAN GETS 16 YEARS FOR FIREARM, DRUG OFFENSES

A Prospect Heights man has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for trafficking weapons and drugs. P

rosecutors say Efrain Jacobo, 44, sold methamphetamine, cocaine and seven firearms to undercover officers in Joliet during the fall of 2024. In addition, law enforcement officers found more than 150,000 grams of meth and 1,800 grams of fentanyl during separate searches in Bolingbrook and Wheeling.

Jacobo pleaded guilty earlier this year.

SUBURBAN MAN SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORN

A federal judge has sentenced a Markham man to 33 years and nine months in prison for operating an online chat group that shared large amounts of child pornography.

Government attorneys say Christopher Martin, 46, operated a group chat on the Kik mobile application and required members to share photos and videos.

Martin pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography earlier this year.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Screenshot 2026-04-08 at 5.36.09 PM

Casey City Council Approves Over $175,000 in Potential Matches for Downtown Business Redevelopment

Casey City Council Meeting | April 6, 2026 Article Summary: The Casey City Council unanimously approved four business district redevelopment agreements that will pump major upgrades into the downtown area,...
Ceasefire impact holds across markets despite varying reports on the Strait of Hormuz

Ceasefire impact holds across markets despite varying reports on the Strait of Hormuz

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Stock markets soared and oil prices plummeted after the start of a two-week ceasefire with Iran, despite conflicting reports regarding the Strait of Hormuz. After...
SEC chairman returns ''first principles' to public markets, supports Texas exchange

SEC chairman returns ”first principles’ to public markets, supports Texas exchange

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square At a Texas Stock Exchange roundtable in Miami, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins outlined his plan to return “first principles” to public markets....
Complaint filed against AMA Foundation for racially discriminatory scholarships

Complaint filed against AMA Foundation for racially discriminatory scholarships

By Tate MillerThe Center Square Medical group Do No Harm filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against the American Medical Association Foundation, questioning whether the organization should...
Democrats vow to hold Bondi in contempt for refusing Epstein deposition

Democrats vow to hold Bondi in contempt for refusing Epstein deposition

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is refusing to appear before the House Oversight Committee for her scheduled deposition April 14, an announcement that garnered a...
Commonwealth LNG signs supply deals with five major buyers

Commonwealth LNG signs supply deals with five major buyers

By Alton WallaceThe Center Square The owners of the proposed Commonwealth LNG export facility in Louisiana announced supply deals with five major buyers as the company crossed a key threshold...
Lawmakers hear debate over data centers including revenue, headaches

Lawmakers hear debate over data centers including revenue, headaches

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – With more than 100 new data center projects moving forward across Illinois in recent years, and thousands...
Illinois quick hits: Madigan corruption appeal to begin Thursday; Attorney General asks lawmakers for additional $15 million;

Illinois quick hits: Madigan corruption appeal to begin Thursday; Attorney General asks lawmakers for additional $15 million;

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Madigan corruption appeal to begin Thursday Oral arguments are scheduled to begin Thursday afternoon in former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s...
Deficit watchdog urges Congress to cut more, spend less than Trump's budget request

Deficit watchdog urges Congress to cut more, spend less than Trump’s budget request

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square As congressional Republicans begin considering how to implement President Donald Trump’s budget request into next year’s government funding bills, fiscal responsibility groups are urging them...
Lawmaker pushes sales tax pause on gas as questions cloud 'fragile' ceasefire

Lawmaker pushes sales tax pause on gas as questions cloud ‘fragile’ ceasefire

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – With the average Illinois gas price about $1.40 per gallon higher on Wednesday than it was in...
Groups warn Middle East truce may not ease economic fallout

Groups warn Middle East truce may not ease economic fallout

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group are closely watching the tentative truce between the U.S. and Iran in the Middle East, but...
National ratings outlet says Pennsylvania has most ‘toss up’ midterm races

National ratings outlet says Pennsylvania has most ‘toss up’ midterm races

By John ColeThe Center Square The 2026 midterm elections are just under seven months away and the races for the U.S. House are beginning to heat up. With control of...
Regulator: LNG expansion likely to affect rare marsh bird

Regulator: LNG expansion likely to affect rare marsh bird

By Alton WallaceThe Center Square A proposed expansion of the Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas export facility in Louisiana could threaten the federally protected eastern black rail, a marsh bird,...
Court showdown over Trump's tariffs could reshape U.S. trade policy

Court showdown over Trump’s tariffs could reshape U.S. trade policy

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square A ruling from a small federal trade court in New York could reshape global trade, as it decides the legality of President Donald Trump's latest...
PSA urges consumers to think ‘Before You Call That Lawyer’

PSA urges consumers to think ‘Before You Call That Lawyer’

By Chris Dickerson | Legal NewslineThe Center Square A national education campaign is urging consumers to gather critical information before hiring a personal injury attorney. Protecting American Consumers Together, or...