The State Journal-Register covered Fridays' hearing on the motion to dismiss in the marriage cases Lazaro v. Orr and Darby v. Orr which are being handled by the ACLU of Illinois and Lambda Legal respectively on behalf of 25 couples seeking to be married. Opponents of same-sex marriage had filed the motion to dismiss which Judge Sophia Hall denied.

It was a victory for couples like Patrick Bova and Jim Darby of Chicago, who have been together for decades. Bova said they could get married elsewhere, "but we want to get married in Illinois, our home state."

The Chicago Tribune wrote about Friday's hearing in the marriage cases where a motion to dismiss filed by same-sex marriage opponents was denied. The ACLU of Illinois' case is Lazaro v. Orr and the case handled by Lambda Legal is Darby v. Orr. Both represent same-sex couples seeking the fundamental right to marry in Illinois.

Those counts claim that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the due process rights of gay and lesbian couples and discriminates against them under the state's equal protection clause covering sexual orientation.

"It's a victory in Illinois," said Ed Yohnka of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, one of the two groups that filed the lawsuit. "We needed this step to move on with the case."

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The Belleville News-Democrat published an article about a new St. Clair County policy enacted in light of a string of recent drug related incidents involving county officials. The new policy would enable county employees to be fired because of a failed drug test. The ACLU of Illinois opposes suspicionless drug testing as a violation of the fourth amendment. The ACLU of Illinois is currently litigating on behalf of a Chicago public housing resident who is forced to undergo drug testing in order to keep his apartment. Regarding the St. Clair County policy, The Belleville News-Democrat spoke with ACLU of Illinois' Public Policy and Communications Director Ed Yohnka:

The county's new approach is a "sad reflection of what is now almost 40 years of flawed policy" concerning drugs, Yohnka said. Instead of punishing employees, Yohnka said county officials should treat substance abuse as an illness.

"If you are going to include this treatment, it should not be optional or up to the discretion of a supervisor," Yohnka said. "If you really care about employees and want to protect the public's safety, it is the one thing that ought to be offered."

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