Sami Azhari, Attorney at Law
Attention: This article was originally published February 25, 2013. The information has since been reviewed for accuracy and is up-to-date as of December 2019. All DUIs are charged under the same statute, 625 ILCS 5/11-501. Regardless of whether it is a misdemeanor or felony, a person’s guilt or innocence is determined by the same sections […]
People in Illinois can have suspensions and revocations on their licenses. A driver can get suspended or revoked for a variety of reasons, such as accumulating traffic convictions, a DUI conviction, or other specific traffic offenses that can lead to such a penalty on their own. This article explores the differences between informal and formal […]
Most people with multiple drunk driving offenses do not assume they will be (legally) behind the wheel for quite a while following their arrest. Illinois has strict mandatory driver’s license suspension laws that make it difficult for even first time offenders to start driving again. For those with more than two or three convictions, they […]
The nation’s highest court gave police broad powers to stop vehicles based on anonymous tips in a recent opinion. In the Navarette v. California case, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the police can pull over a vehicle based on an anonymous tip that the driver is intoxicated without observing any traffic violations themselves, […]
For years, DUI offenders have had to worry about their driver’s licenses and the possibility of incarceration. But recently, prosecutors have given defendants another cause for concern. The government can seize a DUI offender’s vehicle, and after a process called civil forfeiture, sell the vehicle at auction and keep the proceeds. The process takes place […]
Statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation have alarmed anti-drunk driving advocates: more women are getting arrested for DUI than ever before. In 2011, the most recent year nationwide statistics are available from the FBI, women accounted for 25 percent of all DUI arrests. Many are concerned because the percentage of arrests was as low […]
In the year 2017, driving under the influence remains one of the most highly politicized offenses in Illinois courts. There is no offense that will get a prosecutor fired quicker for giving a good deal than DUI. In these cases, Assistant State’s Attorneys are always wary of how it will look after they give the […]
An arrest for driving under the influence in Illinois is recorded, in most respects, for all time. This is a distressing fact for someone who has never been arrested before. One bad decision can make for a lifetime of regret. But it does not have to be that way. The record of a DUI arrest […]
Driving under the influence is the only offense in Illinois that requires the offender to undergo an evaluation before sentencing. The evaluation is mandated by statute. There is one exception to this rule, and it shows how seriously the law treats a DUI. The only other case in which the defendant is required to have […]
We return in 2012 for an update on the law against driving under the influence in the state of Illinois. While crimes such as domestic battery, theft, and murder have not changed in decades, the laws on DUI are changing every year. The statute that prohibits driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs remains […]
- by Sami Azhari, DUI Lawyer
