The Illinois Supreme Court has spoken on two high-profile, highly-political cases in the past few weeks. First, in July, the state’s high court ruled the “No Cash Bail” law constitutional using some dubious reasoning. Then, in early August, the court vacated a lower court decision striking down Gov. Pritzker’s so-called “Protect Illinois Communities Act.”
Both cases featured the same four defendants: Gov. JB Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, House Speaker Chris Welch in addition to Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Months earlier, Gov. Pritzker had donated a million dollars to the campaigns of each of the two new Illinois Supreme Court Justices: Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien. What’s more, Harmon and Welch each donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to each of the candidates as well.
Yet despite accepting donations approaching a quarter of their total campaign funds, these two justices failed to recuse themselves in either case involving those donors.
Not only that, but in the gun ban case, Justice Rochford not only refused to recuse herself, she actually wrote the majority opinion upholding the law.
Indeed, State Rep. Dan Caulkins told The Center Square that the decision was “the best justice money can buy.”
Caulkins also said that he wasn’t sure if he’ll pursue the case in federal court.
In the meantime, we’re saddled with the best court Gov. Pritzker and friends could “buy.”
Elizabeth Rochford, right, during last year’s campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court. She’s holding a cookie with “Moms Demand Action” written on it.
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