2 Comments - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 19, 04 @ 11:13 am: OPPS….KARMEIER BACKER’S SANCTIONED KARMEIER SUPPORTERS FORCED TO PULL ADS FOR ELECTION LAW VIOLATIONS COLLINSVILLE- One of the shadow committees backing Judge Lloyd Karmeier’s Supreme Court bid was effectively shut down Tuesday for violating Illinois election law. The setback for the shadow group, Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch (I-LAW), came in the form of a Williamson County Circuit Court injunction. The election law violations were detailed in documents filed by the Operating Engineers Local 318, represented by Robert Howerton in Marion. I-LAW is just one of the groups raising and spending millions of dollars to get Karmeier elected, along with JUSTPAC, BALANCE PAC and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “We greatly appreciate the courage of the Operating Engineers to step forward at this critical time. The court’s decision is a stunning move to expose the desperate attempts by big insurance companies and big business to buy a Supreme Court seat,” said Brendan Hostetler, spokesman for Maag for Justice. “It’s awfully ironic that Lloyd Karmeier’s campaign for the highest court in the state is being supported by a group that is in blatant violation of Illinois law. Maybe they should change their acronym to ELAW – Election Laws Abused Wantonly.” The lawsuit was filed in Williamson County Circuit Court Tuesday by Local 318 claiming that I-LAW was in violation of state law because they were supporting a candidate and had not filed appropriate disclosures with the Illinois State Board of Elections. A temporary restraining order was issued effective until an October 29th preliminary injunction hearing. The court ordered I-LAW to remove all advertising, including television, radio, billboards and the internet, until the shadow organization files paperwork stating who their donors are and the expenditures they have made. Failure to do so could find the organization in contempt of court. “They hadn’t filed with the state board because they don’t want the public to know that big insurance companies are trying to influence the election and secure a Supreme Court Justice,” said Hostetler. “They’re playing fast and loose with reporting requirements, but that’s really not a surprise considering these are the same companies embroiled in scandals across the nation. They need an ace in the hole on the Supreme Court when they start defaulting on their responsibilities to consumers.” Recently, the highly respected Insurance Journal reported on the Supreme Court race. The article reported that industry officials are vocal about the fact that Illinois has no limits on individual or corporate contributions and that the race for Illinois Supreme Court Justice has drawn the interest of insurers looking for favorable rulings. “I-LAW is an organization that is dubious at best,” Hostetler continued. “They are no doubt receiving under-the-radar funding from insurance companies, big tobacco and big businesses, the same organizations that routinely make life difficult for working men and women. Lloyd Karmeier needs to repudiate these ads, disavow the organization and apologize to the residents of Southern Illinois for accepting their help. Why is he so silent?” - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 19, 04 @ 12:04 pm: COLLINSVILLE- One of the shadow committees backing Judge Lloyd Karmeier’s Supreme Court bid was effectively shut down Tuesday for violating Illinois election law. The setback for the shadow group, Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch (I-LAW), came in the form of a Williamson County Circuit Court injunction. The election law violations were detailed in documents filed by the Operating Engineers Local 318, represented by Robert Howerton in Marion. I-LAW is just one of the groups raising and spending millions of dollars to get Karmeier elected, along with JUSTPAC, BALANCE PAC and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “We greatly appreciate the courage of the Operating Engineers to step forward at this critical time. The court’s decision is a stunning move to expose the desperate attempts by big insurance companies and big business to buy a Supreme Court seat,” said Brendan Hostetler, spokesman for Maag for Justice. “It’s awfully ironic that Lloyd Karmeier’s campaign for the highest court in the state is being supported by a group that is in blatant violation of Illinois law. Maybe they should change their acronym to ELAW – Election Laws Abused Wantonly.” The lawsuit was filed in Williamson County Circuit Court Tuesday by Local 318 claiming that I-LAW was in violation of state law because they were supporting a candidate and had not filed appropriate disclosures with the Illinois State Board of Elections. A temporary restraining order was issued effective until an October 29th preliminary injunction hearing. The court ordered I-LAW to remove all advertising, including television, radio, billboards and the internet, until the shadow organization files paperwork stating who their donors are and the expenditures they have made. Failure to do so could find the organization in contempt of court. “They hadn’t filed with the state board because they don’t want the public to know that big insurance companies are trying to influence the election and secure a Supreme Court Justice,” said Hostetler. “They’re playing fast and loose with reporting requirements, but that’s really not a surprise considering these are the same companies embroiled in scandals across the nation. They need an ace in the hole on the Supreme Court when they start defaulting on their responsibilities to consumers.” Recently, the highly respected Insurance Journal reported on the Supreme Court race. The article reported that industry officials are vocal about the fact that Illinois has no limits on individual or corporate contributions and that the race for Illinois Supreme Court Justice has drawn the interest of insurers looking for favorable rulings. “I-LAW is an organization that is dubious at best,” Hostetler continued. “They are no doubt receiving under-the-radar funding from insurance companies, big tobacco and big businesses, the same organizations that routinely make life difficult for working men and women. Lloyd Karmeier needs to repudiate these ads, disavow the organization and apologize to the residents of Southern Illinois for accepting their help. Why is he so silent?” Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.