For most of American history, when a Justice Department lawyer stood up in court and told a judge something, the judge took it as true. There's even a name for this — it’s called "presumption of regularity," the idea that government officials are doing their jobs honestly and in good faith.

That assumption is now under strain. A growing number of federal judges — appointed by presidents of both parties — have indicated they are no longer willing to give the benefit of the doubt to lawyers from the Trump administration. And one of the clearest examples of this is coming out of Illinois.

It's the case of the so-called “Broadview Six” — immigration protesters arrested outside a suburban Chicago ICE facility last fall. A rare federal felony case against them collapsed this spring after a judge found what she described as serious misconduct in front of a grand jury.

We spoke with Jason Meisner, who covers federal courts for the Chicago Tribune, to walk us through what's happened. 

Last week, three teenagers from Collinsville, Illinois were on their way to a job. That’s when they were stopped by local police in Christian County. Before long, all three of them were in the custody of federal immigration agents. The family says local police circumvented the TRUST Act — the Illinois law meant to stop that from happening. We'll talk about it with Brian Munoz of St. Louis Public Radio.
 

Federal agents are continuing to arrest immigrants in Chicago and fire tear gas at people demonstrating against them. Meanwhile, a state lawmaker says an agent pointed a gun at him. We’ll talk about what’s happening on the ground and in court.

The Trump administration has expanded the scope of ICE operations in Chicago and its suburbs, but state and local officials — as well as everyday citizens — are pushing back.

The town of Quincy, Illinois is enjoying the spotlight after being featured in the popular Netflix makeover show Queer Eye. We talk to the band teacher who brought the Fab Five to Illinois. Also, it’s finally beach season. Even though we don’t live by the ocean, Lake Michigan is always a drive away. But it turns out the water is sometimes too dirty for swimmers. Plus, Chicago officials made it clear they won’t cooperate with the Trump administration’s current immigration deportation policy. That resistance harkens back to another era more than a century ago. And, we hear tips for making classic Chicago deep dish pizza at home.