People are getting turned away at the Illinois State Capitol after at least 3,600 people gathered in the first floor rotunda for a pro-life rally. Officials say it’s too dangerous to let anyone else in. #twillpic.twitter.com/X1t0St9iNd
The entire main staircase was clogged when I tried to get up to the second floor. Between a pro-life rally and a @MomsDemand rally, I've rarely seen the building so full. https://t.co/V5KLHwpMPD
In this case, plaintiffs challenged the passage of Public Act 100-538 (eff. Jan. 1, 2018), which amended the Illinois Public Aid Code to reverse the prohibition on funding of elective abortions by the State of Illinois’s Medicaid system. Plaintiffs argued that the appropriation of funds in furtherance of Public Act 100-538 violated section 2(b) of article VIII of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. VIII, § 2(b)), as well as section 4(a) of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability Act (the Act) (25 ILCS 155/4(a) (West 2016)), because the General Assembly did not adopt a revenue estimate that covered the costs of the services proposed by the bill that became Public Act 100-538. The appellate court affirmed dismissal of the plaintiffs claim, finding that it was a “political question” that was not justiciable. 2018 IL App (4th) 180005-U, ii 49. A majority of this court denies plaintiffs petition for leave to appeal before this court.
The issue of what constitutes the parameters of the political-question doctrine is of such vital importance that it should be resolved by the Supreme Court of Illinois and not simply left to the appellate court to grapple with. In the leading case describing the doctrine, the United States Supreme Court observed that the political-question doctrine is “one of ‘political questions,’ not one of ‘political cases,’ “and “[t]he courts cannot reject as ‘no law suit’ a bona fide controversy as to whether some action denominated ‘political’ exceeds constitutional authority.” Here, the appellate court concluded that the legislature’s compliance with section 2(b) of article VIII of our constitution and section 4(a) of the Act is a political question and therefore not justiciable. That conclusion is undoubtedly of sufficient importance to the people of the state of Illinois as to compel this court’s review. I would therefore grant the petition.
Urges lawmakers to slow the process of legalizing recreational marijuana in Illinois, so that lawmakers, stakeholders, and experts alike have the chance to consider the societal impact of legalization and examine all the data from other states that have passed similar legislation.
* He’s now one co-sponsor shy of having enough to pass it…
Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) tells me he has secured 59 votes in the House to pass a resolution urging @GovPritzker to slow down the push to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use. He just got Reps. Bourne, Wheeler, & Jones, He needs one more vote to pass it.
Some of these folks may be signing on just so they can say that they pushed to slow the process down. It’s not a resolution against legalization. But it’s still gotta be worrisome to proponents, even if there’s some gamesmanship here (like with minimum wage).
Marijuana legalization will be particularly destructive for our youth. Recently, more than a dozen children consumed marijuana-laced gummy bears at an elementary school in Ohio. The youngest child treated was just 5 years old. And that follows another incident from late last year when children at a Florida middle school were given similar marijuana-laced gummies from a 12-year-old classmate. […]
Proponents argue that legalizing marijuana is a social justice movement. Illinois recently decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, which means that those who possess less than 10 grams face a fine similar to a speeding ticket and are not subject to arrest. Decriminalization allows the user of marijuana to avoid a criminal record without the dangerous, unintended consequences of full legalization.
1) Cannabis is currently illegal in Ohio and Florida, so I don’t understand his point.
2) Decriminalization deliberately keeps in place the often violent criminal networks behind its production and distribution. I prefer to stand against that element. Also, under decrim, you can possess pot-laced gummy bears. He’s contradicting himself here.
* Pot growers who want to keep their monopolies decide to pay for study that shows - surprise! - they should keep their monopolies…
Existing growers of Illinois’ medical marijuana crop would be able to meet demand for recreational pot in Illinois for up to four years after legalization, but the state would need more than 400 new dispensaries to handle distribution, according to a study released Tuesday from a group that represents about two dozen state licensed marijuana growers and sellers.
The study contradicts a report released last month that suggested existing growers could meet recreational pot demand for only about two years. That study was commissioned by lawmakers drafting a bill to legalize recreational marijuana, which is a priority for Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
One of the central questions facing lawmakers is how many licenses should be created for growers and sellers of recreational pot. There are 17 companies licensed to grow and 55 dispensaries in this state’s medical marijuana pilot program. […]
The alliance’s study, prepared by the Marijuana Policy Group, a Colorado-based consulting firm, says the earlier projections overestimated the demand by about 200,000 pounds per year and underestimated how much current growers can supply. The new study says the previous report overestimated demand by not accounting for Illinois’ smaller population of heavy marijuana users compared with other states and by counting intrastate travelers when calculating the impact of tourism, among other issues.
Grassroots Cannabis raised $90 million to expand its operations in Illinois and across the country, becoming the latest Chicago-based marijuana company to bring in a sizable round of funding.
The money will be used to further develop Grassroots’ cultivation facility in Litchfield, about 210 miles southwest of Chicago, said CEO Mitch Kahn.
Grassroots also plans to expand its cultivation facilities in Maryland and Pennsylvania, states with growing medical cannabis programs, and build dispensaries in other states where the company recently won licenses. The bulk of the funds, though, will be put toward mergers and acquisitions of other cannabis operations, Kahn said. […]
Last week, a company based in Phoenix agreed to pay $850 million for Chicago-based cannabis operator Verano Holdings. Chicago-based Cresco Labs announced Monday that it would pay $120 million for a Florida marijuana company. Last year, national operator MedMen bought Oak Park’s PharmaCann for about $680 million.
And when he did show up, Pawar voted for the largest property tax hike in Chicago history. But Melissa Conyears-Ervin shows up for us every day.
As State Rep, Melissa protected child care for Chicago families. Her plan will make the Treasurer’s Office more independent from politicians. And ensure we invest in every Chicago neighborhood, not just downtown.
Secretary of State Jesse White: She’s ready for this.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin: Oh, you bet I am.
Announcer: Melissa Conyears-Ervin for Treasurer.
She won the first round 44-42.
Her contributions have been picking up lately. and you gotta figure that at least some of those Toni Preckwinkle backers will be switching their cash over to Rep. Conyears-Ervin.
* Gov. Pritzker is in the Rockford area today surveying flood damage. The Register-Star explains how the flood happened…
The [Rock River] remained at elevated levels because of flooding late last year and the water wasn’t able to fall fast enough before the Rock River basin in Wisconsin and Illinois were socked with snowfall and rain, [W. Scott Lincoln, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville] said. Then the polar vortices hit, and that moisture froze in place in the soil.
The soil was wetter than 99 percent of previous months of March, Lincoln said.
The major factor in this flooding was the equivalent of 2 to 4 inches of water from snowmelt between March 12 and March 14 from Wisconsin, Lincoln said. In addition, half an inch to 1 inch of rainwater came down from Wisconsin.
During that same time period, “1 to 2 inches of snow water equivalent” entered [the river] from the Rockford area, he said.
State Rep. Karina Villa is a 40-year-old Democrat representing West Chicago. She’s one of dozens of fresh faces at the Illinois State Capitol this year and also one of seven lawmakers in the House of Representatives whose election flipped a red seat blue — from Republican to Democrat.
Villa was a school social worker for 15 years — and said that’s actually what prompted her to make a run for the state legislature. Instead of just complaining, she wanted to be a part of “the solution.” […]
Her first piece of legislation, introduced early last month, would require schools to specifically discuss mental health within the health curriculum for all students. The idea is to help children and teens recognize the signs of conditions like depression or anxiety. […]
Those who are opposed to the legislation don’t have a problem with the idea of it, but want to be sure this will not be another unfunded mandate for public schools.
“The way that her bill is written, it’s more goals for what mental health curriculum is doing and we think that will be better placed in the Illinois learning standards,” said Zach Messersmith with the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance. He said if this particular goal is placed within the health curriculum, he’s concerned schools may be forced to purchase new textbooks or other tools.
Villa, who has spent years working in schools, said she appreciated the concern but she did not want this to become a burden on schools and did not have any specific curriculum in mind. The example given with the TIME magazine article would be a sufficient tool for educators.
I’m hearing this a lot about the new freshman class. Very sincere, but not willing to amend their bills to address objections. However, the bill passed yesterday with 107 votes. We’ll see what happens in the Senate.
A state lawmaker is looking to give voters the authority to force their locally-elected school boards into resource-sharing agreements with other districts for certain administration offices and functions.
While the bill allows for districts to share superintendents, other administrators and services, it exempts principals and assistant principals.
Currently, local school districts have the power to enter into resource-sharing agreements with other districts through the passage of a resolution. State Sen. Sue Rezin’s Senate Bill 1287, which passed by a 9-1 vote out of the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, would allow another avenue to force resource-sharing: approval by the voters via a binding referendum.
Rezin said shared services might not be appropriate for every district, but the bill would be particularly relevant to communities with a K-8 school district feeding into a separate high school district with its own administration.
* Related…
* School Funding Left Out A Few Thousand Kids: But after more than a dozen meetings, that Professional Review Panel’s committee on ROE funding hasn’t been able to find a way to fit most of those alternative schools into the plan. “And so where that leaves us is having to seek assistance directly from legislators as they craft the bill or bills around this topic that we hopefully can get consideration from them,” Popp says, “just as we did on our supplemental appropriation last year.”
* Illinois Medicaid officials vow to improve services: Eagleson, a former executive director of the Office of Medicaid Innovation at the University of Illinois system, acknowledged earlier in her testimony the agency was “deeply aware” of concerns about denial rates, late payments and other issues in the program. But she also said there are indications managed care is achieving some of its goals. “… We’re seeing anecdotally things like increased assessments of behavioral health needs, decreased hospital admissions, decreased (emergency room) utilization,” she said. “So we do think that the statistics are going in the right direction in most cases, but we’d like to bring more transparency to you around those issues as well.”
Illinois Democrats are one step closer to repealing legislation requiring that a minor talk to her parent or guardian before getting an abortion.
The bill, sponsored by Chicago Sen. Elgie Sims, Jr., passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday without Republican support after about an hour of testimonies and debate. […]
[Proponents of repealing the existing law], such as Hannah Baity, call the law “extremely dangerous.” Baity is a youth organizer with the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health and testified in the Senate committee Tuesday.
She told lawmakers not every teenager has a secure relationship with her parent, and they “cannot legislate healthy parent-child communications.”
The existing state law requires parental notification, but not parental approval. It also allows minors to bypass the notification requirement by going before a judge. Sims said the judicial bypass option was not a reasonable alternative.
“You’re asking [teenagers] to go in front of the court and represent themselves in a judicial forum,” he said. “We are putting demands on young people that we should not be.” […]
Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, opposed the measure. He said he understood the concerns those who want to get rid of the notification requirement. However, he said the procedure warranted notification.
“For there to be maybe a hurdle or two there, I don’t think that as a society that’s necessarily a worse thing because at the end of the day we are talking about the termination of a heartbeat,” Plummer said.
Democratic Senator Elgie Sims of Chicago is sponsoring the proposal that would get rid of any notification requirement.
“Healthy family communication can’t be legislated, and if a young woman makes the decision to have a child she doesn’t have notify her parents. She only has to notify her parents if she plans to have an abortion. There’s something fundamentally wrong with that.”
Anti-abortion advocates expressed outrage after a Senate Committee today senators approved the bill to go to the full Senate.
Dawn Fitzpatrick of the Catholic Conference of Illinois says parents should always be involved with such decisions as terminating a pregnancy.
“Why would anybody vote for legislation that effectively removes parents and guardians of minors from a major decision that is known to have significant physical and mental side effects? Current law makes it illegal for minors in Illinois to use an indoor tanning bed; buy cigarettes, alcohol or lottery tickets; or vote in an election. Are we to believe abortion is somehow less consequential than getting a tan?” said the Catholic Conference of Illinois in a statement.
I try to be respectful toward all sides on this topic, but nobody ever got kicked out of their house for getting a tan. I’d like to see the Catholic Conference and other groups address this reality.
Hundreds of protesters are expected to rally at the State Capitol on Wednesday. against two abortion bills moving through the General Assembly. […]
“There is widespread outcry from the people of Illinois against these extreme anti-women and anti-children bills since they were introduced a month ago,” shared Illinois Right to Life Action’s Mary Kate Knorr. “Residents from all corners of Illinois are expressing outrage at this proposed legislation, which disregards the health and safety of women. We intend to bring that outrage to Springfield, where legislators cannot ignore it.”
The Pro-Life Action League, Illinois Right to Life Action, Catholic Conference of Illinois, Silent No More and other groups will be among the ralliers. The rally starts at 1:30 p.m. in the Capitol rotunda.
* Speakers…
· Illinois State Representative Terri Bryant, District 115
· Illinois State Representative Amy Grant, District 42
· Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Catholic Diocese of Springfield
· Nancy Kruezer, Silent No More (post-abortive mother)
· Belinda Guyton, Southside Pregnancy Center
· Rev. James Scudder, Jr., Quentin Road Bible Church
· Mary Kate Knorr, Illinois Right to Life Action
· Eric Scheidler, Pro-Life Action League
* The recent We Ask America poll had Gov. Pritzker at +1 on job approval (37-36 ). The Simon Poll has him +2 (40-38). WAA had President Trump at -15 (41-56), the Simon Poll has him -20 (39-59)…
Illinois’ highest elected officials received mixed job-performance reviews in the poll just released from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The Simon PollTM was based on a statewide sample of 1,000 registered voters conducted March 11 through March 17. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.
The voters were asked whether they approved or disapproved of the jobs being done by Governor J. B. Pritzker, President Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, and Senate President John Cullerton.
This was an early test for Governor Pritzker, who just took office in mid-January. Since then the governor has introduced his first budget and embarked on an ambitious plan to deal with the state’s long-term structural deficit. His plan has involved high-profile advocacy for a constitutional amendment that would shift Illinois’ income tax from a flat rate to a graduated rate.
Two months into his new administration, Simon Poll respondents gave Governor Pritzker a 40 percent positive job rating, while 38 percent disapproved, a narrow two-percentage-point positive net. This included 10 percent who strongly approved and 30 percent who somewhat approved, and 14 percent who somewhat disapproved and 24 percent who strongly disapproved. Another 7 percent said they neither approved nor disapproved, and 15 percent had no opinion.
For comparison, at the same point in Bruce Rauner’s term, the March 2015 Simon PollTM showed Governor Rauner at 37 approval vs. 31 percent disapproval, with one-third, or 32, percent who had not decided or had no opinion at that point.
Not surprisingly, Pritzker’s ratings varied significantly according to the voters’ place of residence and partisan affiliation. Fifty percent of voters from the City of Chicago approved of the governor’s job performance, while only 28 percent disapproved. Forty percent of the voters from suburban Cook and the Collar Counties approved and 36 percent disapproved. Downstate, 34 percent approved and 50 percent disapproved.
By party, 65 percent of Democrats endorsed Pritzker’s job performance, while only 12 percent disapproved. Seventy percent of Republicans disapproved of Pritzker’s performance, and 15 percent approved. Independents fell in-between, with 31 percent approving and 41 percent disapproving.
“These partisan and geographic differences in Illinois reflect the deep polarization that exists in the nation, and it shows no signs of getting any better” said John S. Jackson, one of the co-directors of the Simon Poll. “At this point Governor Pritzker is 2 percent above water, so he can go either way depending on how he is perceived to be handling the office of the governor and dealing with the enduring budgetary problems that have faced the state for a generation,” Jackson added.
President Trump’s job approval was 39 percent positive and 59 percent negative — net of 20 points underwater in Illinois. This consisted of 49 percent who strongly disapprove and 10 percent who somewhat disapprove of the president’s performance.
Partisan and geographic differences are on stark display in the varying results for the president. Ninety-three percent of Democrats disapproved and only 6 percent approved of the job Trump is doing as president; 83 percent of Republicans approved and only 16 percent disapproved. Independents were in between, with 35 approval and 60 percent disapproval.
Three quarters (76 percent) of the voters in the City of Chicago disapproved of Trump’s performance and 24 percent approved. In the suburbs, 39 percent approved and 60 percent disapproved. This left downstate as the only region where the president’s approval ratings were not in a net negative range, with 50 percent who approved and 46 percent disapproved.
“Illinois exhibits its own version of the blue-state/red-state divide,” said Charlie Leonard, a co-director of the Simon Poll. “Urban Chicago and its suburbs decidedly disapprove of President Trump, while in the more Republican, less densely populated “red” part of the state, he is about as popular as in a traditionally Republican state like Indiana or Nebraska.”
U. S. Senator Dick Durbin is up for re-election next year and the poll tested his beginning point as he launches a new campaign. The results showed Senator Durbin with a 51 percent approval rating, compared to 41 percent disapproval, 8 percent who either didn’t know or had no opinion.
Sixty-five percent of voters in the City of Chicago approved of the job Durbin is doing, while 29 percent disapproved. In suburban Cook and the Collar Counties, 51 percent approved and 41 percent disapproved, exactly matching the statewide results. Downstate the margins were 42 percent who approved and 48 percent who disapproved.
Durbin fared very well among his fellow Democrats with the results showing that 78 percent approved and 15 percent disapproved of the job he was doing. Republicans gave a 74 percent disapproval to 21 percent approval rating. Fifty-one percent of Independents approved and 41 percent disapproved, again exactly matching the statewide results.
Turning to state legislative leaders, the poll asked about the job performance of Speaker of the House Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.
Fully 71 percent of voters statewide said they disapproved of Madigan’s job performance, while only 20 percent approved, with 10 percent undecided or neither.
City of Chicago voters gave Madigan a 26 percent approval to 66 percent disapproval rating. Suburban Cook and the Collar Counties gave him a 19 percent approve and 72 percent disapprove rating. Downstate voters were almost identical with the suburban voters with 71 percent disapproving and 19 percent approving.
Thirty-four percent of Democratic voters approved and 55 percent disapproved of the Speaker’s job performance. Eighty-seven percent of Republicans disapproved and only 8 percent approved, while Independents showed a 10 percent approval and 78 percent disapproval rating.
The Speaker has long been a high-profile target for Republican attack ads in a variety of campaigns. In the campaigns for governor and in many state house and senate races in November of 2018, Republican candidates from Governor Rauner through state representative races and some local races focused on Madigan. His job approval vs. disapproval ratings show those results as well as his many years as perhaps the most highly recognizable Democrat in Illinois.
By contrast, Senate President John Cullerton keeps a much lower profile and the results show in contrast with the Speaker. Senator Cullerton’s approval ratings were 24 percent approve and 35 percent disapprove, with 6 percent who said neither and more than one-third, 35 percent, who said they did not know enough to rate him.
There were virtually no regional differences on Cullerton’s job approval ratings. By party, the differences were only marginal. Thirty-five percent of the Democrats said they approved of Cullerton’s job performance with 23 percent who disapproved. Forty-eight percent of Republicans said they disapproved and 15 percent approved. This left 37 percent of the Democrats and 36 percent of the Independents saying they did not know enough to rate him with 29 percent of the Republicans who did not want to provide a rating.
Director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, John Shaw, summarized the findings as follows, “Illinois remains a strikingly divided and polarized state. By and large, Illinoisans view their political leaders through profoundly partisan lenses.”
You’d think Pritzker would have a honeymoon period, but nope. Lots of folks are reverting to party or withholding judgment.
And Trump at -21 in the suburbs has got to be giving legislative Republicans serious heartburn. Next year will be a fully nationalized election. And Durbin has to be happy (as long as he avoids a serious primary from his left).
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - DISCOVERY PARTNERS INSTITUTE
The proposed fiscal year 2020 budget includes a reappropriation of $500 million in spending authority to provide a state match for private donations from individuals, corporations and other entities. The state matching funds will only be released if the corresponding private donations are secured.
The future of a huge research center in the South Loop once again is in grave doubt after the Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration added what appears to be onerous new conditions to state funding for the University of Illinois’ Discovery Partners Institute.
The new governor in January told Crain’s he wanted the research facility to fly even though it originally was proposed by the man he unseated, Bruce Rauner. Pritzker said the university would have to line up private funds rather than merely depending on the $500 million in state cash that Rauner allotted, but suggested that was doable. […]
[Pritzker’s] budget reappropriates the $500 million that was budgeted last year, but describes it not as a grant but a state match for private donations from individuals, corporations or other entities. The budget language adds that “state matching funds will only be released if the corresponding private donations are secured.” […]
But other administration officials go farther, saying that $500 million in private capital will have to be secured before the state considers releasing any its funds. Said one insider, “After the $500 million in private funds have been raised, there would be structured draws against the state’s $500 million, tied to important project milestones and ongoing planning.”
Wednesday, Mar 20, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
When President Donald Trump released his proposed budget March 11, he was rightfully criticized for projecting outlandish economic growth. Larry Summers, former director of the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama, said Trump’s economists “should be embarrassed” by their estimate.
J.B. Pritzker is relying on a similar growth fantasy in Illinois to sell his tax plan. A one-page summary released by the governor’s office March 15 reveals Pritzker’s tax promises rely on growth estimates that are higher than the state’s five-year average, higher than the state itself projected as recently as November 2018 and far more optimistic than most economists predict.
Because of the governor’s extraordinary growth projections for Illinois’ economy, his expected tax collections are overstated. He would need to increase the size of his tax hike in 2021 by nearly $1 billion simply to cover the difference between his assumptions and a reasonable growth estimate.
Pritzker’s plan won’t deliver on the promises he’s making, meaning it will only serve as a bridge to further tax hikes.
A lawyer for a white Chicago police officer convicted of killing black teenager Laquan McDonald says he’s “extremely pleased” with a decision by the Illinois Supreme Court to let stand a prison sentence of less than seven years for his client.
The Tuesday decision denies a bid by the Illinois attorney general’s office and a special prosecutor to have Jason Van Dyke resentenced. Critics said the sentence was far too lenient. With credit for good behavior, Van Dyke could be freed in three years. […]
Before deciding on a sentence, Gaughan first had to determine if the case fell under the “one act, one crime” doctrine, allowing Van Dyke to be sentenced on only the more serious of the two crimes he was charged with. Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated battery in a trial last year.
Prosecutors, citing precedent, argued if Van Dyke was sentenced for only one of the two charges, it should be for the aggravated battery charge, which carried a higher sentence.
Defense attorneys countered that second-degree murder was the appropriate charge, despite the possibility of probation. Ultimately, Gaughan chose to sentence Van Dyke for second-degree murder, giving him the 81-month sentence.
No explanation was given for the court’s refusal to hear the case. But the decision fell largely along political lines, with the court’s three Republicans — Rita Garman, Robert Thomas and Chief Justice Lloyd Karmeier — joining Anne Burke, a Democrat who is married to Chicago Ald. Edward Burke, a onetime Chicago police officer who is facing federal corruption charges.
Two of the seven justices on the court, both Democrats, objected to the majority decision in full or in part, saying they believed Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan improperly relied on a previous Supreme Court opinion when he sentenced Van Dyke for a second-degree murder conviction, not the more serious counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
Another Democratic justice, Mary Jane Theis, did not participate in the decision.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul stopped short of criticizing the court, though he went out of his way several times to note the four justices in the majority didn’t offer a word of explanation for why they ruled as they did.
An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t appear to be an option, including because the core legal issues have to do exclusively with Illinois law. Raoul acknowledged that his office had run out of options.
Asked whether Van Dyke’s comparatively light sentence was an illustration of racial disparities in sentencing, Raoul paused before saying: “Suffice to say that I believe the sentence was inconsistent with the law.”
AG Raoul replied “No comment,” when asked directly if he thought the Supreme Court ruling was politically motivated.
* Raoul’s press release…
We initiated this motion in conjunction with the Special Prosecutor based on the trial judge’s sentencing decision because it was inconsistent with Illinois law and Illinois Supreme Court precedent. We sought the Supreme Court’s review via a motion for leave to file a mandamus petition.
The Supreme Court majority, without explanation, denied that motion. However, two justices wrote separately to dissent from the denial, recognizing that the sentence was inconsistent with Supreme Court precedent and that the Court could and should grant the requested relief by exercising its supervisory authority.
The majority’s denial, without explanation, does not confirm whether Judge Gaughan’s sentence is consistent with Illinois law. Nonetheless, we recognize and respect the Court’s authority, which it can exercise without a specific request.
I would like to recognize the Special Prosecutor’s work throughout this case, as well as his office’s partnership with mine to bring this matter before the Court.
* Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Kimberly Lightford spoke for the caucus yesterday…
We are disappointed by the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision. The sentencing Van Dyke received earlier this year contradicts state law and the high court’s precedent.
It is frustrating that the Supreme Court rejected this motion without explanation and saddening to know that law enforcement officers are not being held accountable for their actions.
The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus respects the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision, but will continue to fight to fix our broken justice system.
* The Tribune reports that Toni Preckwinkle has pulled all her TV ads off the air…
Preckwinkle, who is the Cook County Democratic Party chair, has reported raising nearly $1.6 million to rival Lori Lightfoot’s $1.9 million since the first-round election, records show. Those sums include fundraising in the past week, during which Preckwinkle has reported raising nearly $360,000 to Lightfoot’s $1.1 million.
“We’re making strategic decisions to put us in the best place to win this campaign,” Preckwinkle said Tuesday during an endorsement event with U.S. Rep. Danny Davis when asked to explain why her campaign has gone off the air.
Asked whether her campaign had run out of money, Preckwinkle said: “We’re making strategic decisions to put us in the best place to win this campaign. Thank you.”
Preckwinkle spokesman Chris Meagher acknowledged her campaign is “not currently on the air” but “should be back up soon.” Meagher did not have specifics as to when.
You almost never see this, unless a campaign is imploding. I mean, you go dark two weeks out? Just about every outlet in town picked up on this story…
The Sun-Times first reported on Monday that the Preckwinkle campaign will be “totally dark” for the crucial home stretch of the historic race.
To some, abandoning the airwaves so late in a campaign is akin to throwing in the towel. Either that or a campaign is out of money.
On Tuesday, Preckwinkle refused to pinpoint her reasons for yanking her commercials just as her opponent Lori Lightfoot purchased $300,000 in TV time through Thursday alone to air a closing ad featuring her 11-year-old daughter.
The story above is about broadcast, but Comcast has not reported any Preckwinkle cable TV buys since March 5th, when her campaign purchased $42K in ads. Lightfoot has been regularly buying cable ads. Preckwinkle still has a smallish presence on Facebook, however.
Meanwhile, her opponent, Lori Lightfoot, launched her closing ad — a lighthearted one featuring her 13-year-old daughter waving and dancing and being goofy in the background.
Lightfoot said it was actually her daughter’s suggestion because she was disappointed she wasn’t in any earlier ads. “I’m Lori Lightfoot and I’m running for mayor for our daughter’s future and all Chicago’s children,” she says in the commercial.
“Look, I just think we wanted to have a little bit of a light touch in these closing days, there’s been a lot of rancor that happened since President Preckwinkle gave her election night speech,” Preckwinkle said.
