ILLINOIS EAVESDROPPING LAW STRUCK DOWN

Illinois’ Supreme Court declared one of the nation’s toughest eavesdropping laws unconstitutional, saying Thursday that the statute was so overly broad that it would technically make the recording of screaming fans at a football game a crime.

The ruling is a final and deci- sive defeat for the Illinois Eavesdropping Act, which had made it a felony for someone to record conversations unless all parties involved agreed. The 1961 law violates free-speech and due-process protections, and is way too broad in scope, the court decided.