Two Illinois Supreme Court Justices, Mary O'Brien and Elizabth Rochford, have received sizable political donations from Gov. J.B. Pritzker. | PxHere.com/Mohamed Hassan
Two Illinois Supreme Court Justices, Mary O'Brien and Elizabth Rochford, have received sizable political donations from Gov. J.B. Pritzker. | PxHere.com/Mohamed Hassan
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) reportedly donated $1 million each to then-Illinois Supreme Court candidates Mary O’Brien and Elizabeth Rochford, which contradicts a law he later signed last year, which limits contributions to $500,000 for an individual in campaigns like these.
According to a March 7 report by The Center Square, Pritzker is a defendant in a Macon County gun-ban challenge that is currently being heard by the Illinois Supreme Court. Both O’Brien and Rochford are Illinois Supreme Court justices, as they won their election in November 2022.
Chris Forsyth from the Judicial Integrity Project of Colorado, which The Center Square says is nonpartisan, spoke about the issue of political donations.
“Political donations can lead to issues of judicial integrity, and the United States Supreme Court has said so,” Forsyth told The Center Square. “In some cases, they have found political donations to be so grave that there is a conflict of interest that is impermissible.”
According to The Center Square, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside) also donated $350,000 to O’Brien and $150,000 to Rochford through the People for Emanuel Chris Welch Fund. Welch is also listed as one of the defendants in the case.
The state Supreme Court heard arguments in the case beginning Tuesday, March 14. The judges have yet to recuse themselves but can do so by being listed as “took no part.”
“Your judicial discipline commission should be watching the situation closely as to what’s going on,” Forsyth told The Center Square. The Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board receives, initiates and investigates complaints involving current Illinois state court judges.
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