Posted on October 28, 2014 in Family Law

In the United States, there is a firm commitment to keeping religion out of its legislative affairs. All religious issues are generally tempered by standards that the Supreme Court has set to help balance religious ideas against secular interests. However, in situations of the family, where religion is closely tied to the concept of the family, the lines become more blurry. Divorce and religion, for example, are generally two concepts that are mutually exclusive, especially in the Judeo-Christian ideology. But where does religion and the law meet? How can the law be utilized in family issues arising in a religious home?

Jewish Divorce: The Getting of the Get

Recently, family law practitioners have been attempting to intervene in Jewish divorces. Though not necessarily encouraged in Judaism, the religion anticipates the possibility that divorce may be a necessity. Jewish marriages are commenced by a marriage contract, known as a ketubah, which defines the responsibilities of the husband to the wife. In the Jewish religion, a wife cannot independently divorce her husband; her husband must provide her with a get, which voids the marriage contract and releases the wife from the marriage. Though this has a similar foundation as the divorce procedures currently in place in the secular world, the difference is that there is no process in the Jewish world by which a wife may force her husband into providing her with a get, thus leaving her at the mercy of a potentially spiteful husband. Married women who are trapped within the marriage are known as agunot.

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 Posted on October 24, 2014 in Immigration

In discussing immigration, it has become common to bring up the two million deportations statisticians claim are at the feet of the Obama administration. However, some do call that statistic into question, on both sides of the political spectrum. This becomes particularly true when one examines a curious trend: arresting people attempting to leave the United States. Do these arrests count in the overall deportation statistics? Why or why not?

The Situation at the Border

Currently, along the country’s southern border, vehicles and people are often searched to ensure they are not taking out anything that requires reporting to authorities—most commonly, currency in excess of $10,000. Sometimes, people carrying that amount are doing so for nefarious purposes, such as muling for Mexican cartels; such mules have been stopped before at the border, especially in Nogales, Arizona, and in El Paso.

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 Posted on October 24, 2014 in Personal Injury

Even though much of the warmer weather is over for this year and the colder winter season is approaching, the topic of road safety is still on the minds of many people in Chicago. And it is no wonder since the traffic on the city streets is composed of cars, buses, bicycles, pedestrians, and additional forms of transportation.

A recent article discussed the fact that some major newspapers often publish pieces that may be considered by some to be anti-bicyclist and anti-pedestrian. However, recently the Tribune ran a piece with a noticeably less harsh view toward bike riders and walkers, and instead advocated a position that everyone who uses the roadways is responsible for knowing the rules of the road and promoting safety.

Sharing the Streets

The piece referenced in the article focused on the need to share the road from a pedestrian's point of view. The author shared a personal experience that he, a pedestrian, had with a bike rider who almost ran him over despite the fact that the rider had a red light at an intersection, and where the author had a walk signal. The real emphasis was that bike riders pose a threat to pedestrians and that they should be aware of, and be expected to, follow traffic safety laws appropriately.

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 Posted on October 22, 2014 in Personal Injury

Law enforcement officials and state agencies take multiple actions in an attempt to make roadways safer for all drivers. One way roads are made safer is through the enforcement of traffic rules and regulations. Illinois, like a significant portion of other states, employs the use of red light cameras to spot certain motorists' infractions and charge them with the appropriate violation. According to a recent news article the legality of using such cameras was challenged in a local Illinois court.

Challenging Red Light Camera Programs

A legal challenge was brought to the use of red light cameras by a motorist in DuPage County Circuit Court. The driver was aiming to get the program re-examined at the least, and hopefully terminated altogether. The driver was ticketed on two separate occasions for allegedly making a left-hand turn at an intersection after the left-turn arrow at the traffic signal switched from yellow to red. One incident supposedly occurred on May 6th, while the other is said to have taken place on June 11th.

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 Posted on October 21, 2014 in Family Law

Social media has entered our lives and has revolutionized the way we communicate and interact with each other. Though we tend to glorify the extent that social media has changed our lives, we sometimes forget to recognize the pitfalls of social media and its negative effect on the choices we make.

As consistent users of Facebook and other social media websites, we review our news feed and evaluate our lives in comparison to what others are doing. This effect has been analyzed and published in a recent study that discusses the effect of social media on marriage and divorce rates.

The study explores whether and how divorce may be spread through social media; the study ultimately finds that there is a correlation (not to be mistaken with causation) between social media and the divorce rates. The current rates of divorce show that 43 percent of marriages will be dissolved and the dissolution will occur within the first 15 years of the marriage.

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 Posted on October 17, 2014 in Immigration

In our post-September 11 world, the process for obtaining a U.S. visa has become increasingly complex. Requirements are far stricter, and more information is collected than ever before. In order to prevent the likelihood of future terrorist attacks, biometric data is now collected with every immigrant and non-immigrant visa petition. However, many people remain confused about what biometrics exactly are, and why they are useful.

Biometrics involves the analysis of biological data, usually for the purposes of identification. The science of biometrics is held out as a safe and convenient option for identification. It was adopted by the U.S. government as a security measure in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Most immigration applicants must appear at a biometrics interview, where fingerprints and other data are taken and checked against the FBI’s watch lists.

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 Posted on October 17, 2014 in Personal Injury

Despite warnings, laws, and police officer's best efforts, many drivers still use their cell phones when operating a vehicle. While some instances of cell phone use while driving can be described as nothing but negligent, or even reckless, other situations may properly call for the appropriate use of a mobile device while traveling on the road. Recognizing this fact, a popular insurance company's website offers some tips for drivers to be aware of for safely using a cell phone while driving.

Safety Tips for Using a Cell Phone

While it is always primarily advisable to avoid taking on a cell phone while driving, at times it may be unavoidable or even necessary to do so. In those instances, it is important to take proper precautions so that cell phone use is done safely. Some cell phone safety tips to follow while on the road include the following:

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 Posted on October 15, 2014 in Personal Injury

It is well known that riding a motorcycle can be a dangerous activity. The issue of motorcycle safety is especially prevalent in the warmer months, as the weather encourages more motorcycle riders to venture out onto the road. Perhaps these safety initiatives, some of which have been the focus of this blog in the past, are starting to pay off. Data released by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) indicates that tragedies caused by motorcycle accidents are currently down this year as compared to years past, as reported by a recent news article.

Decrease in Fatalities

IDOT is reporting that the number of motorcycle crash fatalities that have occurred so far in 2014 shows a significant decrease in numbers as compared to those that occurred in 2013. Across the state of Illinois, 60 deaths occurred involving motorcycle riders from January to July. This number is actually a 30 percent decrease from the number of deaths that occurred during the same time span last year, which was 84. Of course, numbers collected throughout the rest of the year will have to be factored into these statistics before a full comparison can be drawn.

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 Posted on October 14, 2014 in Family Law

The recent news coverage and controversy regarding Ray Rice has thrust domestic violence and intimate partner violence into the spotlight. The dialogue about domestic abuse and violence has been incited, and the media has watched as a riveting debate has been put into play about the way our society deals with domestic violence. In fact, the initial sentencing of Ray Rice is seen by many as a reflection of society’s attitude toward domestic violence: if you do not see it, it is not there or it is not as bad as you think.

Who is Affected by Domestic Violence? 

The increased dialogue, however, has motivated lawmakers to begin to crack down on abusers and provide support to survivors of intimate partner violence. First and foremost, it is important to understand the picture of survivors of domestic violence. In a study done by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 85 percent of survivors were women; this is approximately 1.3 million women nationwide annually. This number, however, is a conservative estimate as many survivors of domestic violence do not come forward and report their spouse.

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 Posted on October 10, 2014 in Immigration

When an individual arrives in the United States, a first priority is to find work. In order to do so, he or she must go through the usual channels—but with an added step. It must be verified that he or she is legally permitted to hold a job in the United States. The government uses a tool called E-Verify to perform this action before allowing an immigrant to be hired.

Form I-9 and E-Verify

Both citizens and non-citizens must fill out a Form I-9 when beginning a job. An I-9 is an Employment Eligibility Verification intended to verify that someone is legally entitled to work in the United States. Along with the I-9, documentation must be provided that proves both identity and employment eligibility. This can be done with many possible forms of identification; for non-citizens, the most common forms are a foreign passport with employment authorization or a Permanent Resident card (green card).

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