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    The Illinois Supreme Court

    The Illinois Supreme Court is weighing an appeal in a criminal case from Macon County that could decide how Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigators consider using Miranda rights in investigations.  

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    Heidi Mueller will become the next Department of Children and Family Services director on Feb. 1. [Department of Juvenile Justice] 

    Illinois’ troubled Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will have a new leader when Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Director Heidi Mueller takes over on Feb. 1, and people working in Illinois social services hope Mueller provides change the agency desperately needs.  

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    Then-Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) holds a news conference in Springfield on July 7, 2022 to talk about gun policy following the Highland Park shooting. [Blue Room Stream] 

    Twelfth Congressional District candidate Darren Bailey has never been shy about his love for guns. He’s posted videos as a state lawmaker blowing up state budgets he voted against and does puzzles at his dining room table with assault weapons scattered around in protest of Illinois’ new ban.  

    Where has Bailey stood on gun rights and how did he balance support for the Second Amendment during his campaign for governor as he now fights U.S. Rep. Mike Bost for votes in a heavily conservative district?  

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    Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook) resigned from the House on Friday. And the Chicago Board of Elections overruled objections to petitions circulated by U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago).  

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    Former Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) and former President Donald Trump hold a rally in Adams County in 2022.  

    Delegates and campaign staffers for presidential candidates filed petitions with the State Board of Elections in Springfield on Thursday just over two months before Illinois voters choose how to distribute delegates to presidential candidates. 

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    The State Board of Elections  

    Just like how members of the Electoral College in each state officially elect the President of the United States, presidential nominees are voted on by delegates from each state when they meet at the party’s convention in the summer.  

    Delegates for presidential candidates in Illinois will file to run for office on Thursday and Friday alongside the presidential candidates themselves.

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    Gov. JB Pritzker announced the next Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) director will come from inside Illinois government following a national search. The Illinois State Capitol was one of 23 states to receive a bomb threat on Wednesday. And U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) launched the first TV ad in the heated 12th Congressional District Republican primary.

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    The Illinois Capitol 

    2024 will be a busy year in Illinois politics with new challenges facing the state and an election now about 10 months away. The state will be the center of the political world in August when Chicago hosts the Democratic National Convention, but in addition to a year of campaigning ahead, the state also must tackle new challenges such as funding for migrants.  

    In addition to the political festivities and annual legislative session, the biggest corruption trial in the state since former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted in 2010 is scheduled to take place in April when former Speaker Mike Madigan goes on trial.  

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    Top left: Gov. JB Pritzker signs the assault weapons ban into law on Jan. 9. Top right: Supporters of ending cash bail celebrate outside the Cook County Jail on Sept. 18. Bottom left: Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) speaks with Invest in Kids advocates on Oct. 26. Bottom right: Advocates protest reductions to a healthcare program for undocumented immigrants at a rally in Chicago in September. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

    Illinois took historic steps in 2023 to become the ninth state to ban assault weapons and first state to completely eliminate cash bail. The year was also filled with several controversial decisions in the state legislature and new pressure on the state budget.  

    Here are some of the top stories of 2023 in Illinois politics:  

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    The Illinois Capitol 

    Study up — Illinoisians will have 318 new laws to follow when they ring in 2024. The laws include new prohibited activities such as vaping indoors and having video calls while driving and new requirements for units of government to solve carjackings and uphold abortion access.