State Supreme Court Justices Rake In Cash Tied To Pension-law Players
From the Chicago Sun-Times
If a lawsuit challenging Illinois’ new pension-reform law reaches the state Supreme Court, the overwhelming majority of justices might first want to extend a “thank you” before hearing arguments about the constitutional merits of the case.
That’s because they’ll be listening to their campaign contributors — literally — make a case for and against the historic new law that the General Assembly and Gov. Pat Quinn put on the books last month.
All told, state records show six of seven justices have taken close to a combined $3 million in campaign contributions tied to those with a stake in the pension debate: labor unions, business groups and a political committee controlled by House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who last month said the legislation could not have passed without his muscle.
That fact renews the focus on Illinois’ no-holds-barred fundraising system for Supreme Court justices, which President Barack Obama, as a state senator, once called “unseemly” since justices’ six-figure donors one day could reappear before the court with important business to decide.
That likely could be the case now on pension litigation, which the state’s public-sector unions expect to file soon to block a new law they believe is unconstitutional. Already, retired Illinois teachers have filed suit against the changes.
“Even the most honorable justice has to acknowledge this looks bad. It puts them in a bad light,” said David Yepsen, a former political reporter and director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Sun-Times
If a lawsuit challenging Illinois’ new pension-reform law reaches the state Supreme Court, the overwhelming majority of justices might first want to extend a “thank you” before hearing arguments about the constitutional merits of the case.
That’s because they’ll be listening to their campaign contributors — literally — make a case for and against the historic new law that the General Assembly and Gov. Pat Quinn put on the books last month.
All told, state records show six of seven justices have taken close to a combined $3 million in campaign contributions tied to those with a stake in the pension debate: labor unions, business groups and a political committee controlled by House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who last month said the legislation could not have passed without his muscle.
That fact renews the focus on Illinois’ no-holds-barred fundraising system for Supreme Court justices, which President Barack Obama, as a state senator, once called “unseemly” since justices’ six-figure donors one day could reappear before the court with important business to decide.
That likely could be the case now on pension litigation, which the state’s public-sector unions expect to file soon to block a new law they believe is unconstitutional. Already, retired Illinois teachers have filed suit against the changes.
“Even the most honorable justice has to acknowledge this looks bad. It puts them in a bad light,” said David Yepsen, a former political reporter and director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.
Read more in our daily News Update...