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
YOUR RIGHT TO COMMUNICATE WHILE IN POLICE CUSTODY IN ILLINOIS
Under 725 ILCS 5/103-3.5, you have the right to communicate free of charge with an attorney of your choice and members of your family as soon as possible upon being taken into police custody, but no later than 3 … Continue reading
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CAN I BE CONVICTED OF DUI IF I DIDN’T TAKE ANY FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS?
The answer depends on your specific circumstances. Did your driving show impairment? Did you behave in a calm and controlled manner with police? Were you stumbling to get out of the car? Is your voice slurred on the evidence video? … Continue reading
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IS MY DUI COURT HEARING ON ZOOM?
Zoom Court was first initiated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Court business could thus continue, while keeping everybody safe. Now, effective New Years Day, 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court has made remote hearings permanent. Revised Illinois Supreme Court Rule … Continue reading
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DID POLICE HAVE PROBABLE CAUSE BEFORE YOUR ARREST?
Before you can be arrested for DUI, police must have probable cause. But at what point are you considered under arrest? In Illinois, you are under arrest when your freedom of movement has been restrained by means of physical force … Continue reading
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CAN POLICE SEARCH MY CAR BECAUSE I’M NERVOUS?
Without more, the answer is probably not. Under Illinios law, nervousness by itself does not give an officer probable cause for the search. While most police searches require a warrant, there is an exception for automobiles. Under that exception, law … Continue reading
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Tagged furtive movement, nervousness, probable cause
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CAN POLICE SEARCH MY HOSPITAL ROOM WITHOUT A WARRANT? PART II
In our April 20, 2021 post, we discussed People v. Pearson in which the court held that police could not search a defendant’s hospital room without a warrant because the defendant had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his hospital … Continue reading
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CAN AN OFFICER SEARCH YOUR CAR BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THAT IS IN PLAIN VIEW?
You were driving to a friend’s one night when police pulled you over for a broken headlight. Noticing a bag of white powder on the floor, the officer suspected you had illegal narcotics. She searched your car, taking the baggie. … Continue reading
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Tagged plain view
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WHAT IS AGGRAVATED FLEEING OR ATTEMPTING TO ELUDE A POLICE OFFICER?
In Illinois, fleeing and eluding a peace officer means that the officer signaled you to stop and you willfully failed to obey, increased your speed, extinguished your lights or otherwise fled or attempted to elude the officer. The officer must … Continue reading
Posted in violation
Tagged attempting to flee and elude, fleeing and eluding
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CAN AN OFFICER SEARCH MY CAR BASED ON THE SMELL OF MARIJUANA?
UPDATED January 31, 2025 The Illinois Supreme Court has resolved any conflict between appellate courts by holding that the smell of burnt cannabis by itself is not enough to justify a warrantless police search. It can still be considered along … Continue reading
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WHAT IS THE CRIME OF “FICTITIOUS OR UNLAWFULLY ALTERED DRIVER’S LICENSE OR PEMIT” IN ILLINOIS?
There are a host of offenses that can be either a Class A Misdemeanor or a Class 4 felony if you knowingly possess or display a fictitious or unlawfully altered driver’s license or permit. (See 625 ILCS 5/6-301.1). Simply possessing … Continue reading
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