SPRINGFIELD – Citizens of other states can’t send a penny to judicial candidates in Illinois but Georgia Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams can send $500,000 to a group backing judicial candidates in Illinois.
Her “Fair Fight” operation contributed that much to All for Justice, an independent committee at a postal box in LaGrange, on Sept. 19.
The group supports a pair of Democrats for the Supreme Court: Elizabeth Rochford in the Second Judicial District, which includes Chicago suburbs outside Cook County, and Mary O’Brien in the Third District, which includes Chicago suburbs outside Cook County and a small rural region.
Rochford opposes Republican candidate Mark Curran.
O’Brien opposes Republican candidate Michael Burke, who holds a seat on the Supreme Court by appointment.
Legislators who enacted the prohibition on outside contributions didn’t apply it to independent committees.
As of Oct. 3, All for Justice received $825,000 from sources outside Illinois.
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees contributed $225,000 through a “working families fund” in Washington.
Engineers Political Education Committee of Washington and Ullico Management of Silver Spring, Maryland each contributed $50,000.
Ullico originally stood for union labor life insurance company. Former southern Illinois Congressman Jerry Costello sits on the board of directors.
All for Justice received $2,199,750 in three weeks, with outside sources accounting for 38 percent of the total.
No group matched Fair Fight except Senate president Don Harmon’s committee.
Abrams ran for governor in 2018 and Republican Brian Kemp defeated her. They oppose each other again this year.
Atlanta federal judge rejects Fair Fight lawsuit
Abrams’s ambitions suffered a setback on Sept. 30, when U.S. District Judge Steve Jones of Atlanta rejected a suit Fair Fight filed against election officials.
Fair Fight challenged registration rules, claimed state officials didn’t adequately train county officials, and alleged discrimination against minorities.
Jones held bench trial from April to June.
Seven voters testified about difficulty with in person cancellation of mail ballots.
Jones found all but one of them was able to vote.
“The evidence adduced at trial does not support that defendants’ training of county election superintendents violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments,” Jones wrote.
He quoted a precedent that if federal courts considered every irregularity a constitutional deprivation, federal courts would adjudicate every dispute.
He found Fair Fight didn’t propose viable remedies.
Among other things, he found the state’s justifications for matching registrations with driver’s licenses outweighed a slight burden on voters.
He further found matching with felony records created a severe burden because voters erroneously caught must contact officials or request a hearing. He relieved the state of responsibility for that, finding the counties did it.
He found no violation in flagging voters as “missing, identification required.”
He found plaintiffs didn’t produce a voter in that category who couldn’t vote, was confused, or experienced higher scrutiny.
He found the state produced evidence that the flag prevents fraud.
He found no violation in flagging non citizens because all voters who verified citizenship were able to vote.
He found Fair Fight failed to show racially discriminatory intent or purpose.
"Although Georgia’s election system is not perfect, the challenged practices violate neither the Constitution nor the Voting Rights Act,” he wrote.