Sami Azhari, Attorney at Law
NOTE: This article was originally published October 2010, but has been updated to reflect the current state of the law as of 2020. A commercial driver’s license (CDL) is subject to strict rules that do not apply to an ordinary driver’s license. For example, a person with an ordinary driver’s license will have his license […]
Attention: This article was originally published April 01, 2014. The information has since been reviewed for accuracy and is up-to-date as of December 2019. Drive too fast and you might go to jail. No, seriously. And if you have been pulled over for speeding by a State Trooper, you may have been told the same […]
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, […]
State lawmakers in Springfield made a significant change to the Illinois Vehicle Code in 2013. The change is important because it could impact a person who was charged with driving under the influence. The law in our state allows law enforcement officers to seize property that was used in the commission of a criminal offense. […]
Driving under the influence is a crime that has generally remained the same over the years. The elements are basically that the defendant was: 1) driving and 2) under the influence. While the elements of the offense remain unchanged, the penalties for DUI change every year. And they change in only one direction, they are […]
The Associated Press interviewed me recently on new legislation in Springfield that would change parts of the vehicle code. Read the AP story from March 10, 2012. There is an important lesson about DUI laws in the article. Representative Jerry Costello, D-Smithton, introduced House Bill 5099 to make it illegal to use a cell phone […]
A preferred outcome in many driving under the influence cases is reckless driving. The reason is reckless driving does not impact a person’s driving privileges in the same way as a DUI. The Secretary of State is mandated by law to revoke the driver’s license of any person who is convicted of DUI. The statute […]
There are very strict rules under Illinois law governing a commercial driver’s license. If you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), you have to be careful. There are certain offenses that will cause the Secretary of State to disqualify you. These charges may look like any other traffic ticket. You may have a traffic court […]
If a person is found guilty of driving under the influence in Illinois, and he has no prior offenses of DUI or reckless driving, then the judge is authorized to sentence the defendant to court supervision. Supervision is generally the disposition sought after by attorneys. As discussed in other articles on this blog, supervision is […]
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority is a state agency that studies our court system closely. From time to time, I read the summaries on their site. They have been tracking the increasing frequency of probationary sentences for driving under the influence and other vehicle code offenses. Their statistical survey proves that judges are cracking […]
- by Sami Azhari, DUI Lawyer
