Illinois Supreme Court put Safe-T Act on hold until March

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by Patrick Andriesen
Illinois Policy

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The Illinois Supreme Court stayed the controversial no-cash bail provisions of the SAFE-T Act Dec. 31, halting the elimination of cash bail statewide while the lower court’s decision is heard on appeal.

The order targeting the pretrial provision of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equality-Today Act came just hours before the omnibus bill was set to take effect Jan. 1. Illinois would have been the first state to end cash bail as a way for defendants to go free until trial, considered as unfair to low-income resident who are often held in jail as wealthier defendants go free.

The high court’s temporary order was made after a Kankakee County judge ruled against the pretrial release portion of the act for 65 Illinois counties Dec. 28 on the grounds it violated the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights and separation of powers sections of the Illinois Constitution.

The justices ordered the stay to "maintain consistent pretrial procedures throughout Illinois" counties while they consider the state’s appeal to the Kankakee County ruling.

No hearing date has been set but justices announced plans for an "expedited process" to review the appeal on the merits. All other provisions of the criminal justice reform bill went into effect as anticipated Jan. 1. The act phases in police body cameras by 2025, regulates police training and discipline, among other things.

In his ruling, Circuit Judge Thomas Cunnington sided with 65 of Illinois’ 102 state’s attorneys, citing the importance of the separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches. Cunnington said, "The appropriateness of bail rests with the authority of the court and may not be determined by legislative fiat."

But Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul disagreed. He appealed the lower court decision on behalf of the state, arguing "a judge’s discretion with regards to pretrial detention is expanded" under the new reform.

Despite the disagreement, legal experts on both sides lauded the Illinois Supreme Court for moving to pause the reforms and prevent unequal enforcement of the new law across Illinois.

"We are very pleased with the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision," wrote the DuPage and Kane County state’s attorneys in a joint statement. "The equal administration of justice is paramount to the successful and fair administration of our criminal justice system."

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Patrick covers Criminal Justice the Illinois Policy Institute. In this role, he focuses on creating and analyzing content to support our published research and experts in the media. Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that promotes responsible government and free market principles. This story was originally published on January 2, 2023.

Illinois tennis program invites fans for a fun-filled kickoff weekend on January 30

URBANA - The Urbana-Champaign tennis community is invited to the Fighting Illini Tennis 2023 Season Kickoff on Monday, January 30, at Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana.

The event, scheduled from 5:30 - 7:30pm, will offer the opportunity to meet current men and women student-athletes on the University of Illinois tennis teams. The event features a silent auction, drinks and appetizers, and a sale in the tennis facility's pro shop (see flyer below).

"There will be opportunities to bid on cool silent auction items and join Advantage Illinois," said Teri Scaggs, the organizer for the upcoming event. Advantage Illinois is a booster club for the Division 1 program that provides resources and support to Fighting Illini athletes.

Scaggs added: "This is a promotional event to help bring enthusiasm to support the teams."

The two-hour event is free and open to the general public. Attendees can RSVP via email to advantageillinois@gmail.com or by calling the Atkins Tennis Center's front desk at (217) 244-8562.

On Saturday, prior to the kickoff event, the Illinois men's team opens at home with a grueling three-match homestand. The team will play a twin bill on their home indoor courts against Butler University at 10am and return to the hardcourts at 6pm to face in-state Rival Illinois State.

No rest for the greatest the Illini are back at it on Sunday against Drake University. Illinois owns the series 3-0 against Bulldogs.

The women's program host their first home meet of the season on Friday, February 3, with a non-conference clash against Georgia Tech. Two days later, the team will take on Notre Dame at Atkins Tennis Center.

At #53, the Illini will face 12 ITA-ranked college teams this season. The teams, in schedule order, include #72 Kentucky, #6 NC State, #26 Vanderbilt OR #39 Furman, #32 Georgia Tech, #48 Notre Dame, #41 Northwestern, #47 Arizona, #18 Michigan, #64 Maryland, #45 Wisconsin, #57 Minnesota and #59 Nebraska.

"Our philosophy has always been and will continue to be to play one of the most competitive out of conference schedules in the country," Illini head coach Evan Clark said back in December when the schedule was announced. "I know our team is excited for the tests that comes with it."

House sneaks in late-night $11.6K raise for Illinois lawmakers, Senate still needs to pass measure

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by Brad Weisenstein, Managing Editor
Illinois Policy

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SPRINGFIELD - Illinois House members gave themselves a nearly 16% raise during a late-night vote Jan. 6 after many had left for the weekend.

The move still needs Illinois Senate approval and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.

In a lame-duck session that included a scramble to pass bills on abortion and gun control, state representatives put through a bill for mid-year spending adjustments that included the pay raises. They added $11,655 per lawmaker, raising the base to $85,000 annually for a legislature that is technically part-time and as of 2019 was the fourth-highest paid in the nation.

In reality, many state representatives will get more than $85,000 if the bill becomes law because of salary bonuses for committee responsibilities and leadership positions ranging from $10,000 to $16,000.

The bill passed the Illinois House 63-35, with about 20 members not voting, some of them already gone for the weekend.

The raise in base pay is in addition to 2.4% annual cost-of-living increases lawmakers gave themselves in 2019 during another secretive move. Those increases have lawmakers making about $73,345 and hit every July 1.

“Wages aren’t keeping up with inflation, but we’ve locked in inflation bumps each July, and now, late at night, with no one here, we’ve ensured our pay goes up well beyond what the private sector sees,” state Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, told The Associated Press. Batinick is retiring when the 103rd Illinois General Assembly is sworn in Jan. 11.

Statewide elected leaders got raises in base pay, ranging from $205,700 for the governor to $160,900 for lieutenant governor. Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, has not taken his salary since taking office. The bill created a position of Illinois House speaker pro tempore and gives the Senate another leadership position for attaining a supermajority, which adds a five-figure bump to those two $85,000 lawmaker salaries.

Illinoisans who object to the 16% pay bumps as inflation rages and threatens another recession should contact Pritzker and urge a veto of Senate Bill 1720.

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Joe Tabor is a senior policy analyst at the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that promotes responsible government and free market principles.