ABOUT ME
Matt Keenan
Se habla español.
A criminal and school law attorney with over 24 years of experience, I have successfully represented clients all over the Chicago area. My practice includes DUI, felony, criminal, misdemeanor, homicide, internet crime, retail theft, traffic offenses, cyberstalking, drug crimes, weapons violations, domestic battery and juvenile crime. I also represent families involving school cases. My clients come from all over the Chicago area including Skokie, Wilmette, Niles, Northbrook, Glenview, Evanston, Winnetka, Highland park, Northfield, Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Mount Prospect. I am a member of the ACLU, Illinois State Bar Association.
We wrote the chapters on DEFENSES and ARRESTS AND INVESTIGATORY STOPS.
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Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).We wrote the chapters on SEARCH and SEIZURE, MOTIONS AND DISCOVERY, and EVIDENTIARY MATTERS GENERALLY.
Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).
Author Archives: mdkeenan
CHANGES TO ILLINOIS LAW ON MARIJUANA AND DUI
Changes to Illinois law tackle the problem of determining how much marijuana is too much for purposes of DUI. The new law took effect July 29, 2016. The new law provides a limit for driving under the influence of marijuana … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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MARIJUANA CAN STILL GET YOU IN TROUBLE
There is no doubt that laws regarding marijuana are liberalizing. A new law effective July 29, 2016 takes marijuana out of the trace law–the law that convicts you for DUI if you cause a serious accident whether or not you … Continue reading
Posted in DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, DUI testing
Tagged cannabis, driving under the influence of marijuana, Marijuana, trace law
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WERE YOU DRIVING A MOTOR VEHICLE UNDER ILLINOIS DUI LAW?
To be convicted of DUI, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you were operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But what exactly is a motor vehicle? Naturally, a car, a truck … Continue reading
Posted in DUI evidence
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DOG SNIFFS AND THE UNDULY PROLONGED TRAFFIC STOP
In 2005, the United States Supreme Court changed the law regarding police stops. Before Illinois v Caballes, police needed specific and articulable facts to change the nature of a stop. After 2005, an officer could change the nature of the … Continue reading
Posted in DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, DUI evidence
Tagged arrest, canine sniff, dog sniff, drug evidence, drug stop, narcotic stop, search and seizure, seizure, stop
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“I DIDN’T KNOW I’D HIT ANYONE”: LEAVING THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT IN ILLINOIS
Illinois law requires that any driver involved in a motor vehicle accident must stay at the scene, file a police report and/or call for assistance. The law further requires that you reasonably assist any injured person including carrying that person … Continue reading
Posted in traffic offenses
Tagged failure to assist, failure to report an accident, leaving the scene
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2016 UPDATE ON COURTHOUSE CELL PHONE RULES
After the recent removal of cell phone lockers at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse resulted in confusion, it seems like a good time to review the rules. Cook County first implemented its courthouse cell phone ban in 2013. The … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged cell phone, court rules, court security
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CAN THEY STOP ME FOR THAT? IMPROPER LICENSE PLATE DISPLAY IN ILLINOIS
It’s not hard for a police officer to find a legal reason to stop your car. If it isn’t seat belts or crossing over the center line or an actual moving violation, an officer may stop you because your license … Continue reading
Posted in violation
Tagged drivers license plate, license display law
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CAN THE POLICE ASK FOR MY DRIVER’S LICENSE DURING A TRAFFIC STOP?
The answer is yes. Recent U.S. and Illinois Supreme Court cases have held that a request for a driver’s license is reasonable regardless of the reason for the stop. Before 2005, police could not change the nature of a traffic … Continue reading
Posted in probable cause, traffic offenses
Tagged traffic stop
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SPECIAL DEFENSES FOR ILLINOIS DUI
Despite what you hear about criminal defendants “getting off on a technicality,” that really doesn’t happen very often. Most appellate courts are reluctant to let an otherwise guilty defendant go free if they can find any way to uphold the … Continue reading
Posted in breathalyzer/field sobriety test, DUI evidence
Tagged breathalyzer certification, police video
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DO I HAVE TO TAKE A PRELIMINARY BREATH TEST IN ILLINOIS?
If you are stopped for a traffic violation and the officer suspects you of DUI, he or she might ask you to take a preliminary breath test (PBT). Can you refuse? Under Illinois statute, if an officer has a reasonable … Continue reading
Posted in breathalyzer/field sobriety test, DUI evidence
Tagged breathalyzer, preliminary breath test, rights
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