The Specter Of The Supreme Court
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
What’s the Illinois General Assembly going to do now with all its free time?
For what’s seemed like an eternity, there’s been one issue at the top of state lawmakers’ to-do list that, annoyingly, never seemed to go away. No matter what else they accomplished — budget cuts, same-sex marriage, concealed carry — they were quickly reminded that the state’s badly underfunded public pension systems still needed attention.
Now that a reform deal has finally been reached and signed into law, will Springfield be filled with restless representatives and senators unsure of how to act without a big task looming over them?
In due time, something will certainly fill that void. The state still has more than its fair share of challenges. But it could be quite a while before something with the size, scope and significance of this recent pension fiasco comes along.
It could be even longer before another situation leads the specter of the Illinois Supreme Court to haunt the Statehouse again.
It was fascinating to watch as lawmakers — some lawyers, some quick to admit that “I’m not a lawyer, but --” hypothesized how a panel of seven jurists would assess any reduction or alteration of public worker pension benefits.
Now, as everyone has long expected, the issue heads to the state court system.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
What’s the Illinois General Assembly going to do now with all its free time?
For what’s seemed like an eternity, there’s been one issue at the top of state lawmakers’ to-do list that, annoyingly, never seemed to go away. No matter what else they accomplished — budget cuts, same-sex marriage, concealed carry — they were quickly reminded that the state’s badly underfunded public pension systems still needed attention.
Now that a reform deal has finally been reached and signed into law, will Springfield be filled with restless representatives and senators unsure of how to act without a big task looming over them?
In due time, something will certainly fill that void. The state still has more than its fair share of challenges. But it could be quite a while before something with the size, scope and significance of this recent pension fiasco comes along.
It could be even longer before another situation leads the specter of the Illinois Supreme Court to haunt the Statehouse again.
It was fascinating to watch as lawmakers — some lawyers, some quick to admit that “I’m not a lawyer, but --” hypothesized how a panel of seven jurists would assess any reduction or alteration of public worker pension benefits.
Now, as everyone has long expected, the issue heads to the state court system.
Read more in our daily News Update...