Springfield-area judge halts new state elections law. Here's what you need to know
A Sangamon County judge ruled on Wednesday to put a temporary pause on a recently passed elections law prohibiting Republicans from entering new candidates after the March primary.
Judge Gail Noll issued the ruling in the Circuit Court for the Seventh Judicial Circuit which will be in place through June 3 — the next hearing in the case.
Bringing the case are four Republican candidates; Leslie Collazo, Daniel Behr, James Kirchner and Carl Kunz; who recently filed nomination papers with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The right-leaning Liberty Justice Center is representing the candidates and claim in its suit the elections board unlawfully blocked the candidates' ability to seek office.
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The court order allows candidates to continue the process of collecting signatures for their nomination papers due to the elections board also by June 3. Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the elections board, told The State Journal-Register it had still been accepting them through that deadline before the temporary order, adding "we continue to operate as we already were operating."
“We applaud the Court’s decision to uphold the rule of law and support voting rights for all people in Illinois,” said Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, in a statement.
The law in question is part of a broader elections bill that places three advisory questions on the November ballot.
Voters will be asked whether insurance plans with pregnancy benefits should cover IVF treatments, if candidates should be subject to civil penalties if they interfere with an election worker's duties and to consider an extra 3% tax on income greater than $1 million.
The court order does not apply to the nonbinding advisory questions, solely the slating provision, a spokesperson with Liberty Justice Center confirmed.
More: Illinois voters' information partially removed by right-wing outlet following judge order
The bill passed swiftly through the General Assembly earlier this month to the chagrin of GOP lawmakers. House Republicans opted to stage a protest vote; voting "present" before walking off the floor together. Democrats rebuffed that candidates still had the opportunity to run on an independent or third-party ticket.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed the bill, one he previously called an "ethics bill," into law on May 3. The center filed suit in circuit court one week later.
Contact Patrick M. Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Illinois judge halts new state elections law. What you need to know
