Attorney General’s Office Plans to Appeal Immediately to Illinois Supreme Court
CHICAGO — The Office of Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued the following statement in response to the Sangamon County Circuit Court’s ruling in the pension reform litigation by Judge John Belz:
“We plan to immediately appeal the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court so that we can obtain a final resolution of these important issues and allow the Governor and General Assembly to take any necessary action. We will ask the Court to expedite the appeal given the significant impact that a final decision in this case will have on the state’s fiscal condition.”
The court’s decision is attached for reference.
Judge Belz determined:
“The Act without question diminishes and impairs the benefits of membership in State retirement systems,” Belz wrote in the ruling. “Illinois Courts have consistently held over time that the Illinois Pension Clause’s protection against the diminishment or impairment of pension benefits is absolute and without exception….”Because the Act diminishes and impairs pension benefits and there is no legally cognizable affirmative defense, the Court must conclude that the Act violates the Pension Protection Clause of the Illinois Constitution.”
Illinois’ pension system has absolutely decimated the state’s finances, having been mismanaged for many years by greedy legislators bowing to corporate interests. The state has been trying to put forth the argument that pensions can be modified in times of crisis…unfortunately, this is a crisis of the state’s own making.