March 25, 2005:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Thursday that he was unaware of a measure designed to diversify the bench in Winnebago and other GOP-leaning counties, even though it’s been on his desk for more than six weeks.

“Haven’t seen it,” the Chicago Democrat said when asked during a conversation about an unrelated matter why he hadn’t acted.

“Let me track it down. It just hasn’t come to me yet. What does it do?”

The measure would divide Winnebago, Boone and six other counties into subcircuits for the election of some judges. Democrats backed the measure, which apparently is designed to land more Democrats on the bench in counties dominated by Republicans.

I’m told that the governor and his staff were briefed by House Speaker Michael Madigan’s operation long before he told this to the Register-Star. His self-professed ignorance caused a lot of eyebrows to rise in the Statehouse.

April 8, 2005:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich approved a measure Thursday designed to diversify the bench in Winnebago and other GOP-leaning counties. […]

If Blagojevich had not signed or vetoed the measure by Sunday, it would have automatically become law.

Apparently, he figured it out.