Reform News
Reform
Judge: Illinois prejudgment lawsuit interest law unconstitutional
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
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
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Reform
Reform watchdog: Fed court can look into state's hiring of unqualified COVID lab techs, contrary to Pritzker's claim
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.
Reform
Judge says County Clerk Yarbrough may have considered politics in deciding to cut employee's job
A judge has dismissed one of two plaintiffs from a suit accusing Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough of laying off employees because of their political affiliations, saying the dismissed plaintiff didn't put forth enough evidence to "get out of the gate."
Reform
IL hiring watchdogs: Pritzker administration refusing to certify that political hiring isn't happening in state govt
In a new filing in a court fight over whether to continue federal court oversight over Illinois state government hiring practices, reform advocates allege Gov. JB Pritzker's administration won't agree to certify under oath that they have no knowledge of continued politically motivated hiring
Reform
Pritzker: Fed appeals judges should end oversight of IL hiring now; Watchdogs: Corruption problems not yet fixed
A three-judge panel heard arguments on Dec. 10, as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker continues to press his case to throw off decades-old orders intended to tamp down corrupt government hiring practices
Reform
Law firms entitled to $930K for making sure Cook Clerk Yarbrough's office complies with federal hiring oversight
Judge rules Chicago law firms instrumental in appointment of compliance administrator, and the fees are needed to sanction Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough for fighting against the effort to tighten scrutiny on her past and current government hiring practices.
Reform
Pritzker must show corrupt hiring has stopped, can't easily restart, to end feds' oversight of IL govt jobs, reformers say
Two longtime reform advocates told a federal appeals court that Gov. JB Pritzker has not yet met the burden needed to win release from federal court orders imposing federal oversight of state hiring practices, despite Pritzker's claims to the contrary
Reform
Pritzker asks appeals court to lift feds oversight of state hiring, imposed to block political hiring practices
Reform advocates have said Pritzker's request is premature, because the state hasn't shown it has stopped politically motivated hiring
Reform
Appellate court says cops can't count holiday pay toward their pensions
An Illinois appeals panel has ruled Hanover Park's police pension board cannot include officers' holiday pay when calculating pension benefits, because only "fixed" pay — and holiday pay is not "fixed" — may be used to figure pensions.
Reform
Democrat remap solidifies court where high number of defendants strive to escape; St. Clair Co will be just like Cook Co - its own circuit
SPRINGFIELD – Democrat State Rep. Jay Hoffman (Belleville) proposes to lop Monroe, Washington, Randolph and Perry counties off the 20th Judicial Circuit and make St. Clair County a circuit unto itself.
Reform
Pritzker signs law allowing prejudgment interest in personal injury cases; Biz groups warn of big costs
"You know it's a bad idea when they try & hide their actions," said Mark Denzler, president of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, about the signing of the law in the closing hours of business before holiday weekend. The law will allow trial lawyers to tack 9% interest on judgments, calculated from the moment a lawsuit was filed.
Reform
ICJL report warns Illinois Supreme Court redistricting plans are designed to preserve Dem majority
SPRINGFIELD – Legislators have begun drawing maps to change boundaries of Supreme Court districts, according to the Illinois Civil Justice League.
Reform
Report: Cook Circuit Court Clerk slow to improve public access to court documents, transparency in clerk's office
A coalition of groups seeking reforms in Cook County's court system say new Circuit Clerk Iris Martinez hasn't moved quickly enough to implement changes to increase transparency in her office and online access to public court documents.
Reform
Pritzker to appeal federal judge's refusal to lift fed oversight of IL state government hiring practices
A federal judge had denied Pritzker's attempt to end court-appointed oversight of Illinois government hiring practices, saying there was still too much evidence of politically motivated hiring and promotion within agencies under the governor's supervision
Reform
Appeals panel won't lift federal oversight of hiring at Cook Clerk's office, for now
7th Circuit says reform advocates have identified potentially corrupt hiring practices, but four-decades-old federal oversight of county hiring practices needs to move toward conclusion
Reform
BIPA reform would allow businesses to comply before ‘gotcha’ lawsuits filed, witness says
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois businesses pay employees $1,000 or more to settle claims that they violated data privacy law, according to statements at an April 12 hearing on a bill to change the law.
Reform
'Bringing balance back': Reforms could be coming to IL biometrics law used to 'extort' IL employers, advocates say
A proposal to reform provisions in the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act used for years by lawyers to target employers over technical violations of the law, drew rare bipartisan support in an Illinois state House committee vote on March 9.
Reform
US Supreme Court rejects appeals asking court to order unions to refund unconstitutional fees
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied appeal petitions in three cases arguing courts have been wrong to allow unions to use a "good faith" defense to keep millions in fees deducted for the unions by governments from the paychecks of non-union government workers.
Reform
Clerk Yarbrough fights Shakman's effort to extend federal oversight to recorder's duties given her
Now that the Cook County Recorder of Deeds Office has merged with County Clerk Karen Yarbrough's office, a federal watchdog over the clerk's hiring practices wants court permission to also keep an eye on recorder activities, but Yarbrough is resisting.