THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All
January 6, 2022
Good morning. The legislature was in session yesterday and we have no idea when they’ll actually be back in Springfield. Next week is definitely canceled. After that, who knows?
Let’s just say, I’m not rushing to book my hotel.
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Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
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Despite Attempted GOP Walkout, Democrats Create Numerous Judicial Seats for Democrats (The Illinoize)
Democrats in the legislature overcame Republican attempts to stop action Wednesday and push through dramatic changes to the way judges around the state are elected.
The GOP staged a sort-of walk out on proceedings in both the House and Senate Wednesday, attempting to stop Democrats from attaining a quorum and advancing any legislation. Democrats were able to overcome the attempt in the House, but getting 30 members physically present in the Senate proved much more difficult for Democrats.
When Democrats met the quorum call, Republicans eventually trickled onto the House and Senate floor, kicking off a day capped by a major overhaul of numerous circuit court makeups around the state.
Democrats easily advanced the measure through each chamber.
Republicans, though, called the redistricting plan a partisan play to elect more Democratic judges.
“[This] is a continued power grab by the majority. You decided to remake the Supreme Court, you decided to remake the Appellate courts, and now you want to remake the circuit courts,” said Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield), the top Republican on the House Redistricting Committee. “It’s not about diversity, it’s about electing Democratic judges. I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff over the last year when it comes to redistricting, but this is the craziest I’ve seen.”
But Senate President Don Harmon defended the expansion of subcircuits, claiming it has increased diversity on the bench since being installed in Cook County 30 years ago.
“[We want] to ensure the judiciary reflects the diversity of the counties,” said Harmon. “We’ve had subcircuits in other counties before, and that led to a conversation about subcircuits elsewhere.”
It’s worth noting, Democrats have now completely transformed the judiciary in Illinois since May and it seems hardly anyone noticed. New Supreme Court districts (which translates to new Appellate Court districts), and now new circuit maps in large parts of the state.
This will have a long lasting impact and I hope people take notice.
Illinois again sets records for COVID cases and hospitalizations; Gov. J.B. Pritzker working remotely after ‘close contact’ with state worker who tested positive (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois continues to set records for COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as the highly contagious omicron variant surges across the state.
State health officials on Wednesday reported 32,279 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, breaking the single-day record of 31,461 cases set on New Year’s Eve. Over the past week, the state has averaged 25,183 new cases per day.
With legislators gathering in Springfield for the first day of this year’s session, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was working remotely after coming in “close contact” with an employee in his office who tested positive for the virus, his office said Wednesday afternoon.
Pritzker, who tested negative Wednesday morning, is expected to continue working remotely through Sunday, his office said.
The daily number of COVID-19 patients has set a record each day since Sunday, with 6,842 in hospitals statewide as of Tuesday night.
The number of patients in intensive care units remains below the peak of the fall 2020 surge, when an average of 1,217 COVID-19 patients were filling ICU beds across the state. As of Tuesday, the seven-day average was 1,076 ICU patients per day.
Related: Preparing for the worst: Cook County deploys trailers to hospitals to handle looming surge in COVID-19 deaths (Sun-Times)
Fewer than 10% of suburban ICU hospital beds are available (Daily Herald)
ICU bed availability plummets as COVID-19 positivity rates spike across southwest IL (Belleville News-Democrat)
US Rep. Adam Kinzinger says he’ll focus on GOP anti-Trump movement rather than run for statewide office (Chicago Tribune)
Retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger said in a video Wednesday that he will forego a bid for U.S. Senate or Illinois governor to focus on the fight against former President Donald Trump’s influence over the GOP.
“This time last year I hoped victory would come in a matter of months. Now I see it will take years,” the six-term lawmaker from Channahon said on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
“That’s why I’m transitioning from serving just one corner of Illinois into fighting this new nationwide mission full time,” he said.
Kinzinger has been one of the few Republicans on Capitol Hill to oppose Trump’s leadership of the GOP and decry baseless allegations that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen. He formed the Country First political action committee and movement last year to back Republicans opposed to the former president.
“Some say it’s time to move on from Jan. 6th. But we can’t move on without addressing what happened or by pretending it never happened,” Kinzinger said.
“The 2020 election was not stolen. Joe Biden won. Donald Trump lost. We have to admit it. But the leadership of the Republican Party won’t. They lied to the American people and they still are,” he said.
As a result, Kinzinger said “the people must rise to the occasion” and restore principled GOP leadership.
“That means choosing truth over lies, hope over fear and progress over anger,” he said. “It means stepping up to vote for principled leaders—especially in the primaries. It means taking stock in who we listen to and what we ask of ourselves, thinking about what we want the future to look like.”
Kinzinger’s prospects in a statewide election bid would have been slim in a GOP primary and even more problematic in a general election in a state that has turned strongly Democratic. As a result, his decision not to run was not unexpected.
Congress needs more Adam Kinzingers and fewer Mary Millers.
The hard right in Illinois, one year after the Jan. 6 attack (Chicago Sun-Times)
Election denial. Emboldened right wing groups at Chicago area events. Some 20 federal prosecutions of Illinoisans in the Capitol on Jan. 6 with more to likely come. Even a member of Congress from Illinois who is planting seeds to cast doubt on the 2022 election results.
The profile of the Proud Boys, a far-right gang Trump declined to disavow ahead of the election, rose significantly during his term as chapters in the Chicago area bolstered their ranks.
Members of the neofascist group have since emerged as key targets of the sprawling federal investigation into the insurrection. James Robert “Jim Bob” Elliott, the lone adherent from Illinois charged in the riot, stands accused of using a flagpole to assault police officers during the Capitol breach.
Bradley Rukstales of Inverness, the onetime CEO of a Schaumburg tech company, became the first known Illinois resident to face federal charges for his role in the Capitol breach when prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against him and five others Jan. 7, 2021.
One year later, Rukstales will likely soon become the first Illinoisan imprisoned as part of the massive prosecution that followed. A judge ordered Rukstales to surrender Feb. 1 to a Michigan prison to serve a 30-day jail sentence.
But Rukstales is just one of at least 20 Illinois residents to face charges related to the Capitol riot. Only two others, Douglas Wangler and Bruce Harrison of the Danville area, have managed to resolve their cases. Each received probation for spending about 20 minutes inside the Capitol.
That leaves the fate of 17 Illinois residents — including a Chicago police officer — up in the air.
This piece is just stunning. Please read the whole thing.
Related: Editorial: An ignominious anniversary that must now be channeled for the American good (Chicago Tribune)
Rock Island GOP Chairman continues to push narrative insurrection was led by “Antifa” (Quad Cities Times)
'What are these guys doing?': A year later, Thomasboro mayor recounts Jan. 6 trip to D.C. (Champaign News-Gazette)
Ald. Pat Dowell drops secretary of state bid, jumps into House race to replace U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (Chicago Sun-Times)
Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) jumped in the Democratic House primary to succeed Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., on Wednesday, dropping her statewide bid for Illinois secretary of state.
Dowell made the switch after Rush’s surprise decision to not seek a 16th term representing the 1st Congressional District. The Sun-Times reported Tuesday that Dowell was on the verge of making the change. Rush wraps up 30 years in Congress next January.
While Dowell was a longshot in the secretary of state primary — facing Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, Alexi Giannoulias, a former Illinois state treasurer and Ald. David Moore (17th) — she starts her congressional race in a strong position, already having a political and fundraising campaign operation in place.
To that point, within an hour or so of her announcement, Dowell’s congressional campaign website appeared, followed shortly by an e-mail fundraising appeal.
She was little more than an also ran in the Secretary of State race, so this is likely a very prudent move for her.
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