Stories by Matt Masterson

The high court on Tuesday granted certiorari in the case brought by a pair of Cook County residents and gun rights activists who challenged the county’s existing law, which bars residents from owning, buying or transferring 125 rifles, such as the AR-15.

A divided Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in a 6-3 ruling Tuesday, striking down President Donald Trump’s executive order that claimed children born in the U.S. to people who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not U.S. citizens.

“We encourage you to review your paycheck to ensure you’re being paid the appropriate wage,” Cook County Department of Human Rights and Ethics Executive Director Jennifer King said.

The court’s six-justice conservative majority, which has repeatedly ruled against transgender Americans in the past year, ruled that state bans in Idaho and West Virginia don’t violate the Constitution.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday erased limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for Congress and president, striking down a federal election law that is more than 50 years old.

The justices relied on a long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, and more recent federal laws in ruling that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen.

Dangerous heat and humidity are expected this week, particularly Monday through Wednesday with high temperatures in the mid-90s and heat index values – what temperatures will feel like when also factoring in humidity — reaching above 105 degrees.

This bill would expand on prior laws and court rulings that have increasingly required judges to take defendants’ youth into account.

Rounding up today’s U.S. Supreme Court decisions on executive power and mail-in voting. And meet the latest candidate to announce a bid for mayor: Mike Quigley.

Community violence interventionists walk high-risk neighborhoods hoping to interrupt cycles of violence through direct outreach and trust-building. WTTW News spent the day with one team to see what it’s all about.

Northwest Side congressman Mike Quigley is officially running for Chicago mayor. The nine-term U.S. representative from Illinois’ 5th District launched his campaign at the historic Uptown Theatre.

The Supreme Court on Monday dramatically expanded presidential power, upholding President Donald Trump’s firings of the heads of independent federal agencies with one important exception.

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that states can count ballots that arrive after Election Day, a persistent target of President Donald Trump.

The Chicago Park District announced the chicks will now be known as Buddy, Frankie, Mavis and Tweedy, after Chicago’s celebrated musicians Buddy Guy, Frankie Knuckles, Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy.

Khadijah Farrakhan, longtime wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, died Saturday, the Nation of Islam has announced. She was 90.

The Bears are still in talks to make an Illinois stadium deal. And the Supreme Court expands the Trump administration’s power over immigration enforcement.

The Chicago Bulls announced Friday that an heir to the Walmart fortune has acquired a minority stake in the team and the United Center.

Alexander Iniguez Mercado, 20, is accused of participating in a group chat on the messaging app Signal with others who appeared to discuss plans for the attack.

The Trevor Project, the leading nonprofit for suicide prevention in LGBTQ+ young people, may not be allowed to offer the service it had helped develop for the 988 Lifeline just a few years ago.

The Supreme Court is handing down major opinions at a rapid clip, but even with some of the biggest decisions yet to come there are signs of tension between the justices.

July 1 marks a second New Year’s Day in Illinois as a new budget takes effect along with more than a dozen new state laws.

A look at the tentative agreement between the U.S. and Iran. And soccer fans celebrate the World Cup.

In a neighborhood where nearly 90% of residents identify as Latino and many families are rooted in Catholic traditions, the queer-led Gage Park Latinx Council has grown into a hub for families.

The monthlong tournament marks the first men’s World Cup hosted in North America since 1994. It also comes as the sport enjoys greater popularity in the United States ahead of another major stretch of international competitions like the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The U.S. and Iran are still debating terms of an interim peace deal, including issues such as getting ships through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The executive order that first establishes an Office of Gun Violence Reduction comes in the aftermath of weekend violence that led advocates to renew calls for the city to establish a Department of Gun Violence Reduction.