Springfield News
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The attorney whose lawsuits ended years of patronage hiring systems in Chicago and Illinois suffered a defeat in state appellate court Friday, when the panel rejected his claim that state officials illegally taxed his private plane twice.
Local government reform fixture Michael Shakman answers questions from reporters. [A.D. Quig/The Daily Line]
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Illinois is the latest state to sue e-cigarette giant Juul after Attorney General Kwame Raoul sued the company in Cook County Court on Thursday. Meanwhile, the four political committees controlled by House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) have raked in $1 million in the last week, signaling that primary season is underway in earnest.
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In the wake of revelations that Chicago-based utility company ComEd and its parent company, nuclear giant Exelon, are at the center of multiple federal probes surrounding Chicago and Illinois politics, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers are seeking to reverse the state subsidies given to Exelon in the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act.
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In an alternate timeline, former 13th Ward Democratic Organization employee Alaina Hampton would be gearing up for depositions this month, as would the Democratic heavy hitters she sued in her March 2018 lawsuit claiming retaliation for reporting sexual harassment from former senior colleague Kevin Quinn.
But Hampton settled the case with the four campaign organizations controlled by House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) late last month, the news breaking late on Friday evening the day after Thanksgiving. Hampton won $275,000 in the settlement, though she only will pocket $75,000, the rest going to attorney’s fees.
Hampton’s lead attorney, Shelly Kulwin of Chicago-based litigation firm Kulwin, Masciopinto & Kulwin LLP, sat down with The Daily Line recently to talk about Hampton’s case now that it’s settled, and what lessons can be learned from the experience.
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One week after candidates for legislative and judicial office in Illinois filed petitions to get on the March 17 primary ballot, the door has closed on another time-honored tradition: petition signature challenges.
Flanked by her parents, Celina Villanueva takes the oath of office to represent the 21st District in the Illinois House. [Heather Cherone/The Daily Line]
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