By Bryant Jackson-Green
08/21/2013
Not long after the Supreme Court announced earlier this year that it would hear McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, a case concerning election contribution limits, political commentators began to hype the alleged dangers of money in our political process. In recent weeks, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear arguments in the case in October,...
We write a lot about the ridiculous things government officials in Illinois do, but make no mistake: officials in other states do plenty of outrageous stuff, too. In Tennessee, for example, there’s Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew. When two unmarried parents had a dispute over whose last name their child should take, Judge Ballew decided to...
By Brian Costin
08/11/2013
There’s an old saying that goes, “don’t mix politics and business,” and as long as your business isn’t politics that’s some pretty wise advice. Unfortunately, nowadays government is more frequently going out of its way to mix business and politics in the form of tax increment financing districts, or TIF districts, and corporate welfare. For...
Illinois’ limits on campaign contributions are anticompetitive and unconstitutional – and the bill Gov. Pat Quinn just signed enacting sweeping changes to the state’s election code only makes the system more arbitrary and unfair. The biggest problem with Illinois’ existing campaign finance law is that it limits how much money a person can give to candidates for state office...
by Paul Kersey In Illinois and many other states, government workers are often forced to pay union dues in order to hold on to their jobs. But a lawsuit filed on behalf of teachers in California may bring this practice to an end. Union officials use forced dues to fund massive political and lobbying drives...
By Chris Andriesen
11/02/2012
Diane Cohen General Counsel, Liberty Justice Center Cook County’s Nov. 6 ballot contains a series of advisory questions to voters, the results of which are nonbinding but often used to test – if not justify – future legislative initiatives. Placed on the ballot by vote of the Chicago City Council resolution, some of these questions...
By Chris Andriesen
07/25/2012
On July 24, 2012, the Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Illinois’ campaign finance law. The law establishes a series of contribution limits on individuals and associations, including our client, Illinois Liberty PAC, while exempting political parties and their leaders from these same limits. The law’s overall scheme includes political party exemptions...
By Paul Kersey
06/21/2012
There are close to 400,000 government employees in Illinois, and millions more across the country, who are forced to pay union dues or agency fees in order to keep their jobs. But now a majority of the United States Supreme Court has signaled that they are ready to rethink the entire thing. The millions of...
What does it take to start your own business in Chicago?
Introduction Rod Blagojevich’s tenure as governor of Illinois will have a lasting effect on the state’s reputation and fiscal condition. From January 2003 to January 2009, Blagojevich made headlines for his sensational comments, political feuds and backroom deals. After being arrested in December 2008 on charges of political corruption, the Legislature removed him from office...
