Campaigns & Elections News
Campaigns & Elections
Bring Chicago Home votes will be counted after IL Supreme Court nixes challengers' bid for appeal
The decision lets stand an appellate court's ruling that Illinois residents cannot ask courts to review before the election any referendum questions placed on the ballot by the Chicago City Council or other elected "legislative" bodies, "regardless of how blatantly unconstitutional"
Campaigns & Elections
Foxx's No. 2 Risa Lanier seeks judgeship; Lands on list of judicial candidates rated 'Not Qualified' by state bar association
According to an evaluation published by the Illinois State Bar Association, Risa Lanier, First Assistant to Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, was rated "Not Qualified" in part because of other lawyers' concerns over her "honesty" and "poor decision making"
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Bring Chicago Home tax hike referendum gets new life; Appeals court says legal challenge 'premature'
A state appeals panel overturned the ruling of a Cook County judge who had invalidated Mayor Brandon Johnson's real estate sales tax hike ballot measure because it illegally asked voters two questions in one referendum. The appeals court said validity challenges need to wait until after the election
Campaigns & Elections
Race for Cook County State's Attorney dead heat, new poll says
A poll from survey firm M3 Strategies says retired judge Eileen O'Neill Burke, who has pledged to undo many of the perceived soft on crime policies of current Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, is tied at 21% with attorney Clayton Harris III, who is endorsed by allies of Foxx and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Campaigns & Elections
Supreme Court boots ballot challenges to Trump, says states can't block presidential candidates under 14th Amend
The unanimous ruling strikes down rulings from Democratic judges in Colorado and Cook County, which had declared individual states have the power under the Fourteenth Amendment to block "insurrectionists" from seeking federal office
Campaigns & Elections
Cook County judge says Colorado got it right, says Trump should be kicked off IL ballot
Cook County Judge Tracie Porter, a Democrat, said she agreed that Trump engaged in "insurrection" and should be removed from the Illinois ballot. She placed her decision on hold, however, leaving it appeals courts, and perhaps the U.S. Supreme Court, to have the final say
Campaigns & Elections
Cook County State's Attorney race offers voters stark choice in approach to prosecuting crime
Retired Appellate Justice Eileen O'Burke says she will restore strong prosecution of gun crimes and retail theft in Chicago and elsewhere. Clayton Harris III, who is endorsed by Chicago political bosses, says he believes current State's Attorney Foxx has earned top grades and he will continue many of her policies and goals
Campaigns & Elections
Chicago Board of Elections, City Hall each seek to appeal ruling invalidating Chicago tax hike referendum
Both the Chicago Board of Elections and city of Chicago will argue a Cook County judge was wrong to block the city from intervening in the court fight over the so-called Bring Chicago Home referendum. The judge ruled the ballot question is illegally drafted, and votes should not be counted.
Campaigns & Elections
Judge invalidates 'Bring Chicago Home' real estate sales tax hike referendum
The judge said the referendum supported by Mayor Brandon Johnson in the name of fighting homelessness was illegally placed on the ballot. Supporters said the decision was racist 'voter suppression' and vowed appeal. Opponents say the referendum is a backdoor property tax increase with no safeguards on how the funds would be spent
Campaigns & Elections
Burke's lasting legacy: Cook County's courts harbor favored, connected judges
Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, once one of the most powerful politicians in Illinois, has left behind a long list of loyalist judges on Cook County's courts, including several in high places within the county's controversial divorce and family law courts
Campaigns & Elections
Appeals court rejects bid by Republican to overturn 2020 judge election he claims was stolen
Park Ridge Republican lawyer Frank DiFranco has claimed Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough used then-novel Vote By Mail rules to cheat in counting votes to allow a Democrat and former Yarbrough staffer to eke out a win in the northwest suburban judicial race
Campaigns & Elections
Wisconsin governor can't win sanctions from attorneys working for Trump to overturn 2020 results
Appeals panel said request to punish lawyers was filed too late, after parties dropped their claims
Campaigns & Elections
Judge tosses lawsuit challenging Illinois' vote-by-mail law's 2 week ballot counting window
Rep. Bost, other plaintiffs, alleged 14-day window for counting mailed ballots violates Constitution and federal law
Campaigns & Elections
Unpaid city bills, campaign fines weigh on Johnson ahead of tomorrow’s mayoral runoff; he's a court ruling away from being tossed from ballot
Published reports that Brandon Johnson had amassed thousands in unpaid city water bills and parking tickets has intensified concerns that the former public school teacher lacks the fiscal management skills to oversee the budget of the nation’s third largest city.
Campaigns & Elections
IL Dems change law to allow vote-by-mail ballots to be counted in a way judge had said 'would be obvious way to commit fraud'
The changes come after a Republican state House candidate had sued the Democratic DuPage County Clerk, accusing her of illegally verifying signatures on mail-in ballots against signatures on the vote-by-mail ballot applications, and not the official voter registration records, as had been required by law
Campaigns & Elections
Appeals court: DuPage judge wrong to step into fight over mail-in ballots while votes were being counted
A state appeals panel has sided with DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek in a court fight with State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, saying courts have no ability to order election officials to follow the law when counting votes until after election officials say they are done counting ballots.
Campaigns & Elections
DuPage County Clerk appeals again to escape judge's order requiring her to follow law when counting mail-in ballots
DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek has appealed to the Illinois Third District Appellate Court to overturn a DuPage County judge's temporary restraining order in a dispute with a Republican state legislator over how she is verifying mail-in ballots are legal
Campaigns & Elections
IL Supreme Court rejects bid by DuPage Clerk to overturn judge's order to follow law when counting mail-in ballots
DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek had argued a DuPage County judge overstepped his authority by granting a court order sought by a DuPage County state lawmaker seeking to force her office to verify mail-in ballots as Illinois election law requires
Campaigns & Elections
DuPage Clerk asks IL Supreme Court to toss DuPage judge's order to follow law when verifying mail-in ballots
DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek argues a DuPage County judge improperly entered a court order requiring her office to exclusively use voter registration records to verify voter signatures on mail-in ballots. She says judges must wait until after she has finished counting votes to ensure votes were legally counted
Campaigns & Elections
Judge: Procedures used by DuPage Clerk to count mail-in ballots 'obvious way to commit ballot fraud'
A DuPage County judge has ordered DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek to rely exclusively on voter registration records when verifying signatures on mail-in ballots, as the law requires, in a win for Elmhurst Republican State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi in her lawsuit over vote counting in her race for a new term in office