West Cook News

A new report shows that Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) was a top donor to the campaigns of two of the Illinois Supreme Court justices, who are now set to rule on his appeal in the Macon County challenge to the state's gun ban registry laws.

The Center Square reported that Pritzker donated $1 million each to the campaigns of then-Supreme Court candidates Mary O’Brien and Elizabeth Rochford. However, Pritzker signed a bill (after his donation) in 2022 stating that no single donor can donate more than $500,000.

Chris Forsyth of the Judicial Integrity Project of Colorado says such donations can be damaging to the democratic process.

“Political donations can lead to issues of judicial integrity, and the United States Supreme Court has said so,” he 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.”

Both Rochford and O'Brien both were elected in November to the Illinois Supreme Court. In addition to Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, a fellow Democrat, donated $350,000 to O'Brien's campaign fund, and Rochford received $150,000 from The People for Emanuel Chris Welch fund. Welch was also named in the lawsuit challenging the gun ban, along with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Senate President Donald Harmon, according to The Center Square.

Forsyth said one possible solution to appease perceived conflicts is recusal by judges, adding that if there is concern about O'Brien and Rochford's objectivity in a case involving those who supported their campaigns, justices can recuse themselves and be listed as “took no part” in certain cases when opinions are issued.