West Cook News

A politically influential Democratic political action committee, All For Justice, has been fined $99,500 by the Illinois Board of Elections for neglecting to report its spending activities that contributed to the successful election of two Illinois Supreme Court justices. The committee received significant donations from one of the political funds belonging to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, with Luke Casson – an attorney representing Harmon – serving as chairman and treasurer.

"Everybody is supposed to follow the rules", said Don Harmon.

Delving deeper into the issue, The state elections board levied the fine and ruled that All For Justice political action committee failed on 35 occasions to timely report millions in spending supporting the successful election campaigns of Democratic Party Justices Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien prior to November 2022. As reported by The Tribune, All For Justice was notified of these fines on August 3 and was given a 30-day window to appeal against the election board ruling. On Aug. 31, any remaining funds amounting to $149,516 in the All For Justice coffers were transferred to a separate PAC named Chicago Independent Alliance which had lain dormant since 2019. Despite speculation, Casson clarified that transferring campaign cash to Chicago independent Alliance was not an attempt at avoiding election board fines – a move addressed under state law. It is worth noting that if a PAC transfers or loans cash to another political entity while it owes fines, officers of said PAC can be held personally accountable for paying those fines. Records show that Luke Casson is listed as the only officer representing All For Justice.