The Illinois Supreme Court announced Monday the formation of an investigative committee focusing on fairness in mortgage foreclosures, which may result in changes to the governing practices.
Picking a governor and a set of lawmakers to represent us in the
halls of Congress and the statehouse is the primary responsibility of
voters on Election Day, but it's not the only choice we face. We've
already run through the basics of a gubernatorial recall amendment,
which may itself be unconstitutional. Citizens will also decide to elect
(or retain) dozens of judges.
If you need help figuring out who is worthy of your support in Cook County, you'd be wise to check out Vote For Judges,
a web project created by the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice that
aggregates scorecards put out by various bar associations and the city's
two major newspapers. The Chicago Reporter's Megan Cottrell highlights a few of the legal officials who don't have solid reputations across the region. (So did WBEZ' Sam Hudzik.) One looks especially problematic for progressive voters:
Susan J. McDunn - According to the Tribune,
McDunn tried to sidetrack two adoptions by lesbian parents, using her
personal beliefs as guidance, rather than the law. The Chicago Council
of Lawyers says, "Many lawyers believe she has difficulty handling
complex matters that come before her and that she demonstrates an
inappropriate temperament." Again, all five groups did not recommend
her.
The season's most intense retention battle is taking place
just south of Chicago in Illinois' Third Supreme Court District, where
Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride is fighting to keep his job.
(We've previously written about the race here.) The Democrat has raised
roughly $2.5 million in his bid, decidedly more than his major
opponents. The outcome of the race will have an impact statewide,
potentially during next year's redistricting process. Currently,
Kilbride's party holds a 4-3 advantage on the court.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride, fighting to retain
his seat in Illinois' Third District, just got a big boost. The
Illinois Federation of Teachers dropped $100,000 into his warchest,
according to a disclosure form filed
early this morning. This comes one day after JUSTPAC, the
political action committee leading the charge to defeat Kilbride, received a contribution
of equal value from the American Justice Partnership, an offshoot of
the National Association of Manufacturers. Last week, the judge also nabbed $20,000 from the Illinois Pipefitters union and an endorsement from the Tribune.
Kilbride will take over as the
state's Chief Justice in just about two weeks but needs 60 percent of
the vote on November 2 to keep his job. Below is his latest ad, which
touts his record on victim's rights:
We profiled this race, and the fraught politics of state judicial elections, here. The State Journal-Register, meanwhile, thinks the wrath the judge has received should serve as a cautionary tale for proponents of the state's gubernatorial recall amendment.
UPDATE (1:45 p.m.): The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform dug through some campaign finance disclosure reports from earlier in the year and found that the teachers union had previously donated $250,000 to Kilbride's campaign. This new contribution brings the total to $350,000 on the year.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride has been selected
to replace the retiring Judge Thomas Fitzgerald as the state's next
Chief Justice. Kilbride, a 10-year veteran of the court, is facing an intense retention fight this November. He will take over on October 26.
The Illinois Supreme Court will not hear an appeal
from the anti-abortion Thomas More Society that sought to overturn a
"stay of enforcement" for a state law requiring parents to be
notified before a girl has an abortion. Last March, a Cook County judge
lifted a temporary restraining order on the law but delayed enforcing the statute until the appeal process wrapped up.
Picking a governor and a set of lawmakers to represent us in the
halls of Congress and the statehouse is the primary responsibility of
voters on Election Day, but it's not the only choice we face. We've
already run through the basics of a gubernatorial 