Anti-retention Group Stops Payment On Checks Sent To Democrat Committees After Karmeier Campaign Files Complaint
From the Madison County Record
The organization seeking to oust Justice Lloyd Karmeier from the Illinois Supreme Court has advised the Illinois State Board of Elections that it mistakenly made payments to county Democratic organizations, but stopped payment on checks before funds were ever deposited.
Campaign for 2016 chairman Barzin Emami notified the elections board in a letter dated Wednesday that a $5,000 check to the Williamson County Democratic Central Committee and a $3,000 check to the Franklin County Democratic Organization were incorrectly reported as expenditures on a disclosure report filed Monday.
Emami’s notification to the board came the same day that Karmeier’s campaign issued a release stating the contributions broke campaign finance laws that prohibit independent groups like Campaign for 2016 from contributing to local political party organizations.
Illinoisans for Karmeier campaign spokesperson Ron Deedrick said a formal complaint was filed against Campaign for 2016 on Wednesday.
“These laws aren’t set up to allow shadow organizations of out-of-state lawyers to steal Supreme Court seats,” Deedrick said.
Karmeier is seeking retention to a second 10-year term in a district that encompasses the state’s 37 southern-most counties. To be retained, Karmeier needs 60 percent voter approval.
Campaign for 2016, which has so far received $1.9 million in contributions from six attorneys or firms, has been running negative ads in the St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Mo. and Paducah, Ky. markets. The advertising says that Karmeier voted to reverse judgments against State Farm and Philip Morris after the companies supported his campaign in 2004.
In 2005, Karmeier participated in decisions that overturned class action judgments of about $10 billion in Price v. Philip Morris, and about $1 billion in Avery v. State Farm.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Madison County Record
The organization seeking to oust Justice Lloyd Karmeier from the Illinois Supreme Court has advised the Illinois State Board of Elections that it mistakenly made payments to county Democratic organizations, but stopped payment on checks before funds were ever deposited.
Campaign for 2016 chairman Barzin Emami notified the elections board in a letter dated Wednesday that a $5,000 check to the Williamson County Democratic Central Committee and a $3,000 check to the Franklin County Democratic Organization were incorrectly reported as expenditures on a disclosure report filed Monday.
Emami’s notification to the board came the same day that Karmeier’s campaign issued a release stating the contributions broke campaign finance laws that prohibit independent groups like Campaign for 2016 from contributing to local political party organizations.
Illinoisans for Karmeier campaign spokesperson Ron Deedrick said a formal complaint was filed against Campaign for 2016 on Wednesday.
“These laws aren’t set up to allow shadow organizations of out-of-state lawyers to steal Supreme Court seats,” Deedrick said.
Karmeier is seeking retention to a second 10-year term in a district that encompasses the state’s 37 southern-most counties. To be retained, Karmeier needs 60 percent voter approval.
Campaign for 2016, which has so far received $1.9 million in contributions from six attorneys or firms, has been running negative ads in the St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Mo. and Paducah, Ky. markets. The advertising says that Karmeier voted to reverse judgments against State Farm and Philip Morris after the companies supported his campaign in 2004.
In 2005, Karmeier participated in decisions that overturned class action judgments of about $10 billion in Price v. Philip Morris, and about $1 billion in Avery v. State Farm.
Read more in our daily News Update...