Free Republic

This month, a 10th Circuit Court judge sentenced a Farmington woman who pleaded guilty to killing two pedestrians while driving drunk last April to 14 years in prison, reports Yahoo. After killing them, she laughed, sang, played dumb, and never asked about the victims. “Our system is based on punishment and rehabilitation,” said Judge Tim Cusack on Thursday as he sentenced Stephanie Melgoza, 24, on two counts of aggravated DUI and two counts of aggravated reckless driving. “I have to balance those two. What is the appropriate punishment in order to deter other people, and what is the rehabilitative quality...

U.S.A. — In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Federal Judge Stephen P. McGlynn has issued a well-reasoned and argued opinion covering several challenges to the “Protect Illinois Communities Act” (PICA). The opinion puts in place a temporary injunction against the enforcement of PICA.PICA bans the ownership of over 190 models of firearms and criminalizes the possession of magazines that hold over 10 rounds, among other things. Judge McGlynn filed the opinion on April 28, 2023. The opinion is straightforward. In the fifth paragraph, after describing the events...

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker shrugged last year after several high-profile corporations left his state. “Countless companies are choosing Illinois as their home,” Mr. Pritzker said. Then why does a new Internal Revenue Service report show an accelerating taxpayer exodus from Illinois and other high-tax states?

VIDEO AT LINK................ Holy cow! This is insane! Things turned ugly very quickly after an Illinois youth wrestling match that saw a wrestler completely suckerpunch and knock out his opponent after getting destroyed in a match. The punch was so vicious that police have even responded with an investigation. Located in Oak Park, Illinois, Oak Park River Forest High School hosted the “Beat The Streets” tournament April 8, and at one point during the event, Maine West High School’s Hafid Alicea was beaten by SPAR Wrestling Academy’s Cooper Corder. And not only did Alicea take a loss, he was absolutely...

On the way to the NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, there was time to consider the changes since this correspondent had last been here in 2014; much pavement has passed under my vehicle’s tires. Nine years ago: Illinois had shall issue. Carry by out-of-state permit holders or people from Constitutional Carry states is permitted as you pass through Illinois. Fortunately, all the states passed through from Dallas, Texas, to Indianapolis, Indiana, have become Constitutional Carry states. Except for Illinois.The rules in Illinois become complicated if you step outside of your vehicle. My solution was not to stop while in Illinois....

Illinois Cook County prosecutors have dropped state sex-crime charges against singer Robert Sylvester Kelly, known as R. Kelly. The charges that have been dropped are aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse counts involving four accusers, three of them minors. On Monday, County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said that they are being dropped in part because of the prison sentences he is already facing for his federal convictions. Kelly had been charged in federal courts in New York and Chicago after Foxx’s office filed charges in 2019.

HB5855 is a bill that heavily infringes on the right to arms protected by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. Ironically, it is titled the “Protect Illinois Communities Act”. The bill has been introduced into the Illinois House of Representatives by Representative Bob Morgan, (D) of the 58th District in Springfield, Illinois. Representative Morgan is a prolific introducer of bills. In 2022, he introduced 38 bills, none of which has moved beyond the introduction phase and passed to the House of Representatives. He introduced 36 bills in 2021, but again none of them passed...

A Fox River Grove woman allegedly battered five different police officers while they were trying to arrest her during a traffic stop in Crystal Lake, court documents show. Ellie G. Masukevich, 18, of Fox River Grove, was charged with five counts of aggravated battery to a police officer, two counts of driving under the influence, resisting a peace officer and possession of liquor by a minor. Court records show officers stopped a 2006 Honda Pilot on westbound Route 14 at Pingree Road in Crystal Lake. The officers stopped the vehicle around 7 p.m. Tuesday after noticing the Honda commit traffic...

Samuel Stebbins writes for 24/7 Wall St and several other left-leaning organizations such as the NYTs, HuffPost, and MSN. Mr. Stebbins has written a number of articles involving guns, crime, and statistics. The numbers he cites are usually correct. They are from sources such as the FBI Uniform Crime Reports.Unfortunately, it is easy to make errors if you do not understand how the numbers are generated. It appears to be the reason for the laughable numbers in Samuel’s most recent article claiming “Gun Sales are Collapsing in Illinois.” In Illinois, gun sales are falling even faster than they are nationwide....

The Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, known as the SAFE-T Act, passed with the backing of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus in the early hours of Jan. 13, 2021. The broad-ranging measure abolishes cash bail beginning in January 2023, reforms police training, certification and use-of-force standards, expands detainee rights, and requires body cameras at all departments by 2025

Today, the “Big 3” Blue States, New York, California, and Illinois, all announced a State of Emergency to address the “Monkeypox Crisis”. https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/gov-pritzker-monkeypox-virus-outbreak-illinois-public-health-emergency/ You’ll notice Newsome and CA are already mobilizing for mass vaccination, and trying to encourage the rest of the States to do the same. The vaccine and fear campaign is now in motion. Soon, the remaining states with Dem governors, will likely declare a State of Emergency as well. The Red States probably won’t play along, but this won’t stop the DNC from trying to justify a National State of Emergency and lockdowns. Is this based on...

In a split 4 to 3 decision, the Illinois Supreme Court has refused to rule on the constitutionality of the Firearms Owner’s IDentification card (FOID) requirements in Illinois. This is the second time the Court has refused to rule on the same case. From the decision: “Mandates of this court are not to be treated lightly but are to be obeyed.” Id. Where the cause is remanded by this court “with specific directions, the court below has no discretion, but must pursue the mandate” of this court. Chickering v. Failes, 29 Ill. 294, 302-03 (1862). Accordingly, the circuit court’s orders...

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The federal indictment against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Wednesday sent shockwaves through the halls of state and local government, with politicians from both sides of the aisle condemning Madigan's alleged behavior as "deplorable" and "disturbing."Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, a political foe of Madigan's for years, said Wednesday "may be the darkest day in Illinois government history." "This is not just an indictment against Michael Madigan, but it's an indictment against the Democrat Party of Illinois that he ran for decades," he said. "But the public needs to get answers from the speaker,...

the much awaited Illinois June 28 Primary Election Day is upon us. Here's where we'll be keeping track of live updates from Election Day across the Chicago area, along with what you need to know about who's on your ballot ...

ILLINOIS's highest-profile GOP primary is the race between Republican Reps. Rodney Davis and Mary Miller in the new 15th District, one of the nation’s six incumbent-versus-incumbent primaries. ... < > 13th District in south-central Illinois to be a D+7 seat ... But the GOP could still hold this seat in a Republican-leaning midterm environment. Republicans look likely to pick either former federal prosecutor Jesse Reising or nonprofit president Regan Deering, as they’ve raised the most money and are on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s list of candidates to watch.

Prepare to vote!

Fourteen Senate Republicans bucked the National Rifle Association and other Second Amendment advocates on Tuesday to advance bipartisan gun control and school safety legislation. In a 64-34 vote, the Senate voted to begin debate on an ambitious rewrite of the nation’s firearm laws. Although only a simple majority was needed to take the measure up, 14 Republicans led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voted in favor.

Congressman Sean Casten's daughter dies aged 17: Teen is pronounced dead at family home - days after her father spoke of his 'tremendous pride' after she organized training on how save someone's life from a gunshot wound Rep. Sean Casten's 17-year-old daughter Gwen Casten died on Monday morning The teenager died at the family's Downers Grove home, local police said Days before her death, Casten said he had 'tremendous pride' in his daughter She was an anti-gun violence advocate and organized training in her school to teach kids how to pack a gunshot wound Last year, Gwen and her father...

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police say a woman shot her husband twice, possibly in self-defense, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Police say the 34-year-old woman fired from a car at Chew and Brinton streets around midnight Friday. The 40-year-old husband was struck in both of his legs. The gunfire also damaged an unattended, parked car and a nearby home. Police found the woman in her car around the corner from the scene. Investigators say she is cooperating. "She does have an active protection from abuse warrant against her husband. We did verify that through our computer system. So there is...

The Illinois Firearms Owner Identification (FOID) requirement came in with the enormous gun control push done by Democrats in 1968, during the Johnson administration. In 2017, an Illinois state judge, T. Scott Webb, of White County, found the FOID unconstitutional. The case made it to the Illinois Supreme Court, where it was sent back to the District Court for clarification.In 2021, it was found to be unconstitutional again and has again made its way back to the Illinois Supreme court. From the decision, Case 17-CM-60, 26 April 2021:“A citizen in the State of Illinois is not born with a Second...