(Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, August 21, 2025

CHICAGO- Today, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1181 into law, clarifying that the protections in the Citizen Participation Act apply to the freedom of the press to opine, report, or investigate matters of public concern. The Citizen Participation Act protects against “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPPs), and with this new amendment, news media will be explicitly added as a protected entity. In Illinois, journalists facing defamation lawsuits and similar litigation for reporting on public matters will be protected under the same legislation.

“As Trump and his friends continue their frivolous and targeted attacks on members of the free press, we are working to protect and empower Illinois journalists as they keep the general public informed,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This law will strengthen our anti-SLAPP legislation in Illinois—ensuring press don’t have to fear retaliation for reporting the truth and reminding all Illinoisans that their free speech is safe, valued, and protected.”
[Read more…]

Image Credit: All-Chicago Tenant Alliance

The Belden Sawyer Tenant Association is continuing its rent strike as they fight their evictions. In May they sued landlord Drew Millard and property management company 33 Realty, which earlier this year sought to turn the tenants’ apartments into luxury properties — refusing to renew existing leases and retaliating against tenants who say the landlord has ignored serious maintenance and other housing issues in order to push them out of their homes.

From today’s Headlines