Lake County Gazette

On Feb. 10, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law a bill that makes it easier for people with felony convictions to legally change their names.

The law took effect on Jan. 1, a report from the Chicago Tribune said. There is no longer a lifetime ban on name changes for people who have been convicted of identity theft, as well as for those on state registries for convictions on offenses that include murder, arson and various sex crimes.

Khadine Bennett, director of Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, noted that the law will increase the fairness of opportunity.

“The bill moves Illinois closer to a fair, modern system regarding the ability of transgender and gender expansive individuals, as well as survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence to change their names,” Bennett said in a recent statement, quoted by the Times.

The new law has received backlash, with opponents arguing that felons could have the opportunity to commit more crimes under a new identity. But supporters have maintained that the legislation would protect transgender individuals who face discrimination, as well as victims of human trafficking who face danger from their abusers.

Ultimately, the official decision to permit the name change will lie in the hands of the court, the Times report said. Judges will have the final word over approving name changes for people convicted of felonies that had been subject to the lifetime ban, and the legislation will also allow county prosecutors to object to those name-change petitions.