THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...The assault weapons fight is far from over...More on Mapes...Governor vetoes bill allowing nuclear power construction
August 14, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
About the time you’ll be opening this, I’ll be rolling into the Quad Cities for some things on the calendar today. But, never fear, we plan to bring some QC content back with us for the newsletter tomorrow.
The State Fair continues today. Governor Pritzker kicks off Senior Day at 10:30 then signs legislation allowing students to get excused absences from school when competing in 4-H and FFA events at 11:30. As a former 4-H and FFA kid, I say, bravo, even though it was never an issue for us.
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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)
Illinois Supreme Court narrowly upholds assault weapons ban as opponents vow to continue legal fight (Chicago Sun-Times)
The Illinois Supreme Court narrowly upheld the state’s assault weapons ban Friday, but opponents vowed to continue their fight in state and federal courts against the law which bars the sale of high-powered rifles and high-capacity magazines.
The 4-3 decision came in a lawsuit brought earlier this year by a central Illinois legislator who argued that the sweeping ban violates the state constitution.
The suit from state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, was part of a flurry of challenges to the constitutionality of the law after it was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Jan. 10. A second lawsuit is still pending before the justices and other challenges are still being fought in federal court.
Pritzker campaigned for reelection on the ban and signed it into law the day after he was inaugurated in January. He said he was “pleased” the state’s high court upheld “a common sense gun reform law to keep mass-killing machines off of our streets and out of our schools.”
“This decision is a win for advocates, survivors, and families alike because it preserves this nation-leading legislation to combat gun violence and save countless lives,” he said.
Pritzker, a Democrat, tapped his wealth last year to boost two candidates for the state Supreme Court, Mary K. O’Brien and Elizabeth Rochford, who helped preserve the 5-2 Democratic majority.
Last month, they and the other Democrats on the court upheld a controversial state law that will eliminate cash bail this fall, a measure backed by the billionaire governor.
Caulkins tried to get O’Brien and Rochford disqualified from taking part in the weapons ban decision, citing donations from the governor and other Democratic officials. The court denied the request.
The two justices ended up split over the case.
I’ve said all along the U.S. Supreme Court is where this case will be decided, not in Springfield.
Related: Illinois Supreme Court upholds state’s sweeping gun ban (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Supreme Court upholds state’s ban on semiautomatic weapons (Associated Press)
Illinois Supreme Court upholds assault-style weapons ban, more challenges to follow (State Journal-Register)
Here’s where challenges to Illinois’ gun ban cases stand in state and federal court (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: Illinois Supreme Court upheld assault weapons ban, but there’s more work to do (Chicago Sun-Times)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker OK’s measure allowing civil action against gun dealers and manufacturers for improper marketing campaigns (Chicago Tribune)
In a glimpse behind the curtain, federal prosecutors tell jurors at perjury trial of Tim Mapes how he allegedly shielded his boss, Madigan ‘the wizard’ (Chicago Tribune)
In his heyday, Tim Mapes, diminutive but domineering, was feared in Springfield.
He threatened staffers’ jobs and screamed orders on the House floor in his capacity as powerhouse Democrat Michael Madigan’s trusted lieutenant.
Formal investigations all but called Mapes’ conduct dictatorial. But you’d never guess that by looking at Mapes last week, sitting meekly and respectfully between his two lawyers in the solemn setting of a federal courtroom.
He is a little balder, a little grayer these days. His demeanor at the defense table is painstakingly placid.
But federal charges accuse him of doing in the grand jury what he did without penalty for decades in Springfield: shielding the boss, Madigan of Chicago.
”I always try to protect him, I mean, that’s my goal. It’s like in marriage,” Mapes once said, according to prosecutors in their opening statement.
Madigan is now facing sweeping racketeering charges. And last week, Mapes — Madigan’s former chief of staff, House clerk and executive director of the state Democratic Party — went to trial on charges that he tried to thwart that investigation.
Prosecutors accuse Mapes of lying about his knowledge of the political activities of Madigan and ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain, both before and after Madigan ousted Mapes in a June 2018 #MeToo scandal amid accusations Mapes disputed.
That lede by Ray, wow.
Related: Madigan was ‘different from any other politician I’ve seen,’ veteran FBI agent testifies at perjury trial of ex-top aide (Chicago Sun-Times)
State representative takes witness stand at perjury trial of Madigan ‘gatekeeper’ Tim Mapes (Chicago Tribune)
‘Protect the boss’ or faulty memory: ex-Madigan aide’s grand jury testimony scrutinized (Capitol News Illinois)
Tim Mapes perjury trial: Evidence seen and heard by the jury (Chicago Tribune)
Pritzker vetoes bill that would lift nuclear moratorium (Daily Herald)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday vetoed a bill that would have enabled the construction of new nuclear reactors in Illinois for the first time in more than three decades.
The measure would have paved the way for what advocates deemed a necessary move to combat climate change. Opponents, however, regarded it as dangerous and expensive.
"The bill is vetoed because the vague definitions in the bill, including the overly broad definition of advanced reactors, will open the door to the proliferation of large-scale nuclear reactors that are so costly to build that they will cause exorbitant ratepayer-funded bailouts," Pritzker's office said. "Additionally, it provides no regulatory protections or updates to address the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around these new reactors."
The legislation's Senate sponsor, Morris Republican Sue Rezin, said she has already filed paperwork to bring the bill up in the legislature's fall veto session scheduled for late October and early November.
Illinois already gets a much larger percentage -- 54% in 2019 -- of its electricity from nuclear power than other states do. Therefore, the state relies on it more to hit its climate goals, namely reaching 100% clean energy by 2050.
As part of the massive climate legislation package that lawmakers passed in 2021, the state agreed to pay up to $694 million over five years to keep a few nuclear plants open. The state currently has six.
This was a good bill and Governor Pritzker got it wrong. The legislature should override the veto.
Related: Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoes bill that would have lifted state moratorium on new nuclear plants (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. Pritzker vetoes bill that would have allowed new nuclear construction (Capitol News Illinois)
FROM THEILLINOIZE.COM LAST WEEK
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
37 workers at state-run developmental center targeted in PPP fraud probe (Capitol News Illinois)
From gender-neutral, multiple-occupancy public bathrooms to compensation for child video stars, Gov. Pritzker signs more than 40 bills into law (Chicago Tribune)
Hundreds of bill signings: What still awaits on Gov. Pritzker's desk? (State Journal-Register)
Starting next year, child influencers can sue if earnings aren’t set aside, says new Illinois law (Associated Press)
How Illinois’ safety net to protect the elderly from financial exploitation is falling short (Chicago Sun-Times)
Illinois reports 6% drop in uninsured vehicles since rollout of electronic verification (Bloomington Pantagraph)
State to offer money back for buying electric cars and trucks (Chicago Sun-Times)
A guide to food at the 2023 Illinois State Fair (Bloomington Pantagraph) [note: don’t listen to Brenden Moore’s opinions about ketchup and hot dogs.]
Editorial: State employees participated in effort to rip off state (Champaign News-Gazette)
Editorial: If Illinois redesigns its state flag, what best captures the ‘state’ of Illinois? (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: The race to replace Kim Foxx will be a referendum on her legacy (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: Pritzker: Do as I say in Ohio, just not here (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: GOP mega-donor Dick Uihlein chalks up yet another 'L,' this time in Ohio (Crain’s Chicago Business)
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