Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch | Youtube screenshot
By Jonathan Bilyk | Cook County Record
A group of Republican candidates have secured a court order blocking the state from enforcing a new law they say unconstitutionally changed the state’s election rules in the middle of the 2024 election cycle, with the intent of keeping Republican candidates from challenging Democratic lawmakers in November.
On May 22, Sangamon County Circuit Judge Gail Noll granted a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit brought by four Chicago area state legislative candidates, challenging the law known as Senate Bill 2412.
The plaintiffs and other critics have called SB2412 “anti-democracy” claiming it wrongly allows the state’s powerful Democratic Party to block Republican challengers from being placed on the ballot for the upcoming fall 2024 elections and prevents voters from having a real choice.
“We applaud the Court’s decision to uphold the rule of law and support voting rights for all people in Illinois,” said Jeffrey Schwab, attorney at the Liberty Justice Center, of Chicago, who represented the plaintiffs. “We look forward to continuing to defend these fundamental rights in court and will be pressing forward to ensure the preliminary injunction becomes permanent.”
The lawsuit was filed May 11 in Sangamon County Circuit Court in Springfield by prospective Republican state legislative candidates Leslie Collazo, Daniel Behr, James Kirchner and Carl Kunz.
Read more here.
Related: “Editorial: State lawmakers in Springfield pass bill to cut off competition in 78 races,” “Candidates feel ‘cheated, violated, robbed’ after Pritzker enacts law ending slating,” “Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs election bill that would favor Democrats in November,” “(With cheshire grins) Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions”
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