2 Illinois Courts, 2 Opposite Takes On State Employee Pay
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- The battle over the Illinois budget has spilled out of the Statehouse and into the courthouse.
Courts on opposite sides of the state have issued opinions about whether state employees should continue to get paychecks while the impasse over a yearlong spending plan continues between Democrats in the Legislature and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
A Cook County judge ruled on Tuesday that the state Constitution prohibits paying bills like paychecks without legislative authorization. On Thursday, a St. Clair County judge decreed that withholding payment from workers violates the Constitution's prohibition on impairing a contract.
The action appears headed for the state Supreme Court if nothing else happens. But it could take a while. Attorney General Lisa Madigan is urging Rauner and legislative Democrats to come to terms.
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