From Statehouse To Courtroom: Many Illinois Issues Are Decided By Judges
From the Bloomington Pantagraph
While the major political skirmishes in the Capitol often are cast as a battle of wills between Gov. Pat Quinn and the General Assembly, the judicial branch has been playing a significant role in guiding state policy in recent years.
High-profile court orders on gun control, the closure of state prisons and the threat of legal action surrounding any action on pension reform have put the legal system in the middle of decisions usually left to the executive and legislative branches.
For sure, Quinn isn’t the first governor to juggle his gubernatorial agenda with judges, but he’s had to maneuver through a particularly thorny legal thicket in his three years in office:
- Attempts by Quinn to close state facilities, including the women’s prison in Dwight, and to withhold raises from unionized state workers have landed his administration in court on multiple occasions against the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees;
- A push to make retirees pay health insurance premiums triggered multiple lawsuits from employees who argued the move is unconstitutional.
- Regional school superintendents looked to the judicial branch for relief when Quinn cut their budgets and left them without paychecks in 2011.
There are more than a dozen other significant lawsuits that either have or could result in changes in state policy, including a federal case that could force lawmakers to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Bloomington Pantagraph
While the major political skirmishes in the Capitol often are cast as a battle of wills between Gov. Pat Quinn and the General Assembly, the judicial branch has been playing a significant role in guiding state policy in recent years.
High-profile court orders on gun control, the closure of state prisons and the threat of legal action surrounding any action on pension reform have put the legal system in the middle of decisions usually left to the executive and legislative branches.
For sure, Quinn isn’t the first governor to juggle his gubernatorial agenda with judges, but he’s had to maneuver through a particularly thorny legal thicket in his three years in office:
- Attempts by Quinn to close state facilities, including the women’s prison in Dwight, and to withhold raises from unionized state workers have landed his administration in court on multiple occasions against the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees;
- A push to make retirees pay health insurance premiums triggered multiple lawsuits from employees who argued the move is unconstitutional.
- Regional school superintendents looked to the judicial branch for relief when Quinn cut their budgets and left them without paychecks in 2011.
There are more than a dozen other significant lawsuits that either have or could result in changes in state policy, including a federal case that could force lawmakers to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons.
Read more in our daily News Update...