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COOK COUNTY RECORD

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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Reform

Cook County falls just short of being ranked America's worst 'Judicial Hellhole'

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Illinois Supreme Court's and Illinois lawmakers' encouragement of big money 'no injury' lawsuits in biometrics class actions and other litigation has powered courts in Chicago to highest ranking ever on American Tort Reform Association's annual list of worst court systems in America for 'lawsuit abuse'

Reform

Lawsuit: Dolton mayor accused of withholding liquor licenses over campaign donations to mayor

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The lawsuit from video gaming chain Lacey's Place says scandal-plagued Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard is using a "tax audit" as cover for a scheme to withhold liquor license renewals from companies that did not donate to her campaign

Reform

'We can't do this anymore:' Business groups warn of economic fallout from IL biometrics lawsuits, call for reform

By Stephanie Jaquins |
A coalition of business groups say potentially massive class action lawsuits under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, unbridled by the Illinois Supreme Court, are threatening the ability of Illinois to attract new business and new tech, and may lead to closures of nursing homes and other key businesses

Reform

Settlement: Reformers to pay state $525K for opposing Pritzker's effort to end fed oversight of state hiring

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The deal between reform advocates Michael Shakman and Paul Lurie and the state of Illinois was announced by a federal judge

Reform

Federal jury orders Lake County Circuit Clerk's office to pay $2.5M to 3 ex-workers allegedly fired over politics

By Scott Holland |
Workers say Democratic clerk canned the workers who had campaigned for her Republican rival, immediately after taking office in 2016

Reform

Pritzker seeks $1.5M in fees from reformers who opposed his efforts to end federal oversight of state hiring

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Reform advocates Michael Shakman and Paul Lurie say Gov. JB Pritzker's demand amounts to an attempt to punish them for not immediately capitulating to Pritzker's position on the need for continued federal oversight of hiring and promotion within state agencies under the governor's control

Reform

Feds say Cook Co. Circuit Clerk's Office hiring still needs monitoring, but lilkely will end under appeals court ruling

By Dan Churney |
A federal watchdog is saying the Cook County Circuit Clerk's Office still needs oversight of its hiring and promotion practices to root out undue political influence, but recognizes that an appellate ruling, instigated by Gov. JB Pritzker, will likely end supervision.

Reform

Cook County Treasurer, Circuit Clerk ask federal court to lift oversight of patronage hiring

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The motions to lift the so-called Shakman Decrees are supported by reform advocates who had filed suit to impose the court ordered monitoring decades ago

Reform

Cook Assessor asks fed judge to end anti-corruption supervision of hiring, promotions

By Scott Holland |
Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi says all parties agree his office complies with guidelines to keep politics out of hiring and promotion decisions

Reform

Feds anti-corruption oversight of IL state hiring practices ends after 50 years, in win for Pritzker

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A federal judge, under orders from an appeals court, has formally ended the so-called Shakman Decrees, intended to prevent officials, like the governor, from using patronage hiring to boost political power

Reform

Report: IL, Cook County courts driving 'nuclear verdicts' trend, leveling big costs on consumers, business, economy

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform said Illinois ranks sixth nationwide for jury verdicts totaling at least $10M

Reform

Appeals court says Pritzker administration can escape fed court oversight of state hiring decisions

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The appeals panel said it is 'not naive' about Illinois' history of corruption, and that courts remain open to future lawsuits, if patronage hiring resumes. But they said federal court oversight of state hiring decisions cannot continue indefinitely.

Reform

Yarbrough: Time for feds oversight of Cook Clerk's office to end; Court monitors focusing on details to keep getting paid

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Yarbrough says compliance administrators appointed by the court to ensure she obeys federal court decrees are trying to find reasons to keep those decrees in place to ensure they continue to get paid

Reform

Reformers' filing: Cook Clerk Yarbrough 'dragging feet' on complying with fed court's anti-patronage orders

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Longtime Illinois government reform advocate Michael Shakman and others have asked a federal judge to tack at least another year onto federal oversight of hiring practices under Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough

Reform

Lawsuit: Cook County property tax appeal review board member illegally hired her cousin, refuses to fire him

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The Cook County Board of Ethics says Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Tammy Wendt hired her first cousin to a $150K per year job in violation of the county's hiring rules, and has refused to comply with orders to remove him

Reform

Judge: Illinois prejudgment lawsuit interest law unconstitutional

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A Cook County judge said the law supported by Democratic state lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker illegally interferes with jury rights and authority, while improperly penalizing defendants, and gifting personal injury plaintiffs with special benefits not given to anyone else in Illinois

Reform

Judge rules pension fund consolidation doesn't violate IL constitution's pension protection clause

By Scott Holland |
Members of hundreds of local police and fire pension systems say the state violated the state constitution by combining their local systems into two statewide pension funds. A judge said worker and retiree pension system voting rights aren't protected by the pension protection clause

Reform

Reform watchdog: Fed court can look into state's hiring of unqualified COVID lab techs, contrary to Pritzker's claim

By Dan Churney |
A state hiring watchdog is contending he has not conceded, as "misconstrued" by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, that two dozen allegedly unqualified temporary lab techs hired to help with Covid-19 tests, are outside the watchdog's federal mandate because they were hired off the street rather than promoted from within government.