Step Two: Write a Request for Review

You do not need a lawyer, but you can hire a lawyer to help you. The Commission does not provide lawyers or offer legal help. Go to the “Information for Self-Represented Litigants” page for information on getting legal help.

There will be a deadline on the Request for Review form that you received. You must file the Request for Review by this deadline or ask for an extension.

If you are not able to file your Request for Review by the deadline, you can ask for a 30-day extension. To ask for an extension, you must file a Motion for Extension of Time to File a Request for Review. The Commission’s website has a fillable “Motion” form.

File a motion the same way you file the Request for Review. Go to the “Step Three: File your Request for Review” page to learn more.

The first time you ask for an extension, it is automatically granted. If you ask for more extensions, a panel of three Commissioners decides if you should receive the extension.

You must file your Request for Review by the original filing deadline or any extension deadline.

If you do not file in time, your case will be over. This means the Department’s determination will be the final decision in your case. The Commission cannot consider any Requests for Review filed late.

All you need to say is that you want the Commission to review your case because you think the Department’s decision was wrong.

But you can give the Commission more information about your case.

For example, you can:
    • explain why the Commission should review your case,
    • say why you disagree with the Department’s determination,
    • give the Commission facts you thought the Department missed,
    • ask for more investigation of important or missed facts, and/or
    • share new evidence that supports your charge.

You also can include supporting materials or evidence that prove your case. This evidence can include information you gave to the Department during its investigation. It also can include new documents or evidence.

You can include a copy of your charge and the Department’s investigation report. But you do not have to include these documents. The Commission always receives copies of the charge and investigation report.

The Department is not required to give their entire investigation file to the Commission. If you want the Commission to consider any documents or exhibits contained in your investigation file, you must include them with your Request for Review.

You can attach more pages if you need to.

Your Request for Review cannot be longer than 45 single-spaced pages. This includes any supporting materials or evidence. The Commission will not look at any information after page 45.

No, the Request for Review is a public record under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This means that the Commission must give copies of the Request for Review and other documents related to your case if someone asks for them in a FOIA request.

The Commission also must publish its decisions on the Commission’s website and give them to online legal research databases. Although the Request for Review is not published, information in the Request for Review might be part of the decision. You can look at published decisions on the “Commission Decisions” page for examples.

You can look at and make copies of the Department’s investigation file to help prepare your Request for Review.  Call the Department at (312) 814-6262 to set up a date and time to look at the file. You will need to call at least 3 business days before you want to look at the file. Do not wait until the last minute to ask to look at the file.  Files larger than 50 pages will be sent to an outside vendor for copying. The Department is not responsible for fees charged by the vendor.  

No, you cannot use DVDs, CDs, or portable flash drives to give the Commission any information. You also cannot use hyperlinks to cloud storage platforms (for example, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud, or Dropbox) in your Request for Review.