Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke declined to recuse herself from at least 10 cases involving clients of Klafter & Burke, the private law firm co-owned by her husband, Ald. Ed Burke, a report states.

Federal agents raided the offices of three suburban villages, including one governed by a mayor who doubles as a Cook County commissioner. All three are in the district of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, also the subject of a federal raid.

The target, state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, is as clouted as they come.

A fourth political ally of Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan has become the latest target of an ongoing federal investigation.

What would appear to many Illinoisans as glaring conflicts of interest over the years have not appeared to raise red flags for the new chief justice.

Some Illinois lawmakers supplement their income doing property tax appeals work at private law firms. A property tax relief task force that includes some of those lawmakers killed a proposal to end that conflict of interest.

The Illinois Supreme Court elected Anne Burke chief justice as Ald. Ed Burke faces a 14-count indictment on federal corruption charges.