THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Assault weapons...A "Black Nazi"...La Schiazza
September 23, 2024
Good morning, Illinois.
A quick note about election coverage. Most newspapers these days have reduced their coverage of local legislative races or even congressional races to sending a survey, letting a campaign staffer answer it, and printing the whole thing and wiping their hands of it.
There are some reporters who actually do the job on political campaigns (Russell Lissau of the Daily Herald and Brenden Moore of the Bloomington Pantagraph come to mind), but many have just mailed it in.
Some of them can’t even do that right. There was an online suburban source that has repeatedly referred to former Rep. Dennis Reboletti, who is running for the open 45th House seat as “Nick.” Like, multiple times. I’m not going to link the stories to give them the clicks.
Which is to say a word about how we cover campaigns around here, especially legislative races. I’m trying to get down in the weeds and know the districts and issues and trends and candidates. I, at minimum, can at least learn their names. We’ve already been writing about House races like the 104th, 76th, and 79th.
We’re planning to get on the ground over the final six weeks of this campaign and your support would certainly help us get there.
We hope you’ll join us as a paid subscriber to help us provide our non-partisan, no-holds-barred coverage well beyond the election.
Governor Pritzker’s office has not released a public schedule for today.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban (Capitol News Illinois)
A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines.
Judge Steven McGlynn, who has presided over the trial, called attention to the neighborhood just outside the courthouse, much of which was destroyed during a series of deadly attacks by a white mob against the city’s Black population.
“The official death toll was 39, but no one believes that,” McGlynn said, noting that the true death toll was probably in the hundreds.
“I wonder what would have happened,” he said in a possible indication of how he intends to rule. “I wonder what would have happened if they (the Black population) had had some of the weapons we’re talking about today.”
Illinois lawmakers passed the assault weapons ban, officially known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act, during a special lame duck session in January 2023. It came in response to numerous mass shootings across the country in which gunmen used AR-style weapons. Among those was a shooting the previous summer at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park that left seven people dead and dozens more injured or traumatized.
The trial in the Southern District of Illinois involved four cases, each with multiple plaintiffs who argued the law violates the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Throughout four days of testimony, a central issue has been whether the weapons and equipment covered under the law are commonly used in American society for lawful purposes such as self-defense, and thus protected under the Second Amendment, or military-grade weapons that state and local governments can more easily keep out of civilian hands.
Related: Downstate judge set to rule next month on constitutionality of Illinois' assault weapons ban (WBEZ)
Judge’s decision in gun ban challenge weeks away as state also set to appeal concealed carry ruling (Chicago Tribune)
Assault weapons ban would have prevented 38 mass shootings, Northwestern study says (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Editorial: Concealed carry permits shouldn't go to people with sketchy backgrounds. Often, they do. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Robinson won’t speak at local GOP event amid latest firestorm (Daily Herald)
Controversial North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has pulled the plug on a much-criticized speaking appearance at a GOP fundraiser, according to the Tenth Congressional District Republican Organization’s website.
The announcement that appeared Saturday noted “Our earlier speaker canceled, but we have secured a great Trump ally for this event!”
Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor in North Carolina, had already generated negative publicity for downplaying the Holocaust and other inflammatory statements about Black Americans. This week brought additional heat after CNN reported he had posted offensive comments on a pornography website some years ago.
Robinson, who is Black, was to have appeared Sept. 29 at a Kenilworth fundraiser for the Tenth Congressional District Republican Organization, a state-registered political action committee chaired by Mark Shaw, an Illinois Republican State Central Committee member.
Other suburban Republican organizations and Democratic officials lambasted the choice of Robinson, who has been backed by Trump and was a speaker at the Republican National Convention in July.
“It's good that they canceled the event only after public pressure, but this should never have been considered in the first place,” Lake County Republican Party chair Keith Brin said.
Related: Amid pushback, controversial nominee for NC governor Mark Robinson cancels appearance at North Shore GOP fundraiser (Chicago Tribune)
North Carolina GOP gov candidate Mark Robinson drops Chicago-area fundraiser after vile posts surface (Chicago Sun-Times)
With jury deadlock ending La Schiazza trial, prosecutors in looming Madigan case face clear challenge (Chicago Tribune)
Closing arguments in the federal trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza, who was accused of bribing House Speaker Michael Madigan, brought an expected crowd to a Chicago courtroom.
But only one spectator could claim to have had a direct influence on the proceedings.
That was James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, whose fight to overturn his own bribery case ended with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that raised the bar for prosecutors in a number of Illinois public corruption cases.
Snyder told the Tribune he was downtown to meet with his appellate lawyer on Tuesday and decided to take in some of the La Schiazza closings. But he was not there two days later, when the case ended dramatically in a mistrial because the jury deadlocked over many of the same issues that were central to his case.
Now, all eyes turn to Madigan’s own trial on racketeering charges, which kicks off in less than three weeks and could pose similar problems for prosecutors, particularly on several counts where they now have to prove there was an agreement with Madigan ahead of time to exchange something of value for an official act.
Related: AT&T jury hangs up — mistrial declared in case of former exec accused of bribing Madigan, weeks before ex-speaker's own trial (Chicago Sun-Times)
Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan (Capitol News Illinois)
TOP STORIES LAST WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
FBI responds to Springfield Board of Elections building for suspicious mail (State Journal-Register)
Questions on Illinois officials’ oversight of state-funded South Side center for troubled kids (Chicago Sun-Times)
High court: Smell of burnt cannabis is not cause for warrantless vehicle search (Capitol News Illinois)
A historic but dilapidated Illinois prison will close while replacement is built, despite objections (Associated Press)
It's been one year since Illinois got rid of cash bail. Here's what happened (State Journal-Register)
Foster cites lying politicians as top issue; challenger Evans says it’s immigration (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Illinois' economic development team has a new CEO — and momentum (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Frerichs: Hey, Stellantis, a deal is a deal. Open the Belvidere plant now (Rockford Register Star)
Vallas: How has a year of the SAFE-T Act affected crime victims? (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Seeking, holding elected office come with share of downsides (Shaw Media)
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