Chicago Republican Party Chair Chris Cleveland celebrated a victory in U.S. District Court when Judge Milton Shadur ruled that the GOP could determine who can be seated as a Republican committee member in Chicago.
The latest court battle started in 2014, when then-candidate for Gov. Bruce Rauner's campaign and the Republican Party organizations from local to state level recruited Republican election judges for every precinct. The goal was to reduce election fraud.
Chicago GOP Chair Chris Cleveland
In light of the success of the GOP efforts, then-Gov. Pat Quinn and House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) enacted an amendment to the election code that changed how election judges were selected. Instead of being selected by the county chair, the amendment put the power in the hands of the ward committee. Then, the Democratic Party ran candidates for the Republican ward committee seats.
Cleveland responded with an amendment to the Cook County bylaws. Ward committee members who voted as Democrats in the primary could not serve as Republican committee members. Thirteen individuals were disqualified due to their voting record in the March primary.
A challenge was filed with the Chicago Board of Elections (CBOE). The board, although deemed a neutral party, ruled in the committee members' favor.
When the case reached the U.S. District Court, the judge issued a scathing ruling that included a permanent injunction against the CBOE. Republican committee members, due to the party's bylaws, will be screened before being seated and those with Democratic voting records will be disqualified.
"The broader legal implication of this case is that Mike Madigan cannot decide, through force of law, how the Republican Party operates in this state," Cleveland said. "As a Republican Party leader, I ask you to keep this in mind. If Mike Madigan enacts a state law that unduly burdens our First Amendment rights, we can fight it and we can win."
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