While the lawsuit was filed in county court, the actual intended audience for the legal action will be the Illinois Supreme Court, which is the only court in the country legally authorized to overturn a longstanding legal doctrine that has enable the legislative process increasingly used by Springfield’s Democratic governing supermajority to quickly pass controversial and problematic legislation, usually with minimal debate and no real opportunities for public response.

The clip, played during U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s opening remarks, included Trump’s pandemic-era comments about injecting disinfectant, comments about windmills driving whales crazy, and occasions when he struggled pronouncing the names of countries such as Venezuela. “Do any of these statements raise a question of cognitive ability? You be the judge,” Durbin said.

“Immigrants already meet their financial obligations here. They should have the freedom to use their hard-earned money as they choose — whether it’s sending it to rebuild a bridge or buy medicine for their mothers.”

Gov. JB Pritzker said the state would not address the fiscal cliff alone: “There are lots of sources, right, the counties where there are residents who are affected, the city of Chicago, Cook County, too, and the riders themselves.”

Sponsored by state Rep. Lindsay LaPointe, Senate Bill 1560 seeks to require public schools across the state to “offer age appropriate, confidential mental health screenings” that ultimately steer students in need toward the kind of support that could help. Across the state, about 27 percent of public schools now conduct universal screenings and another 40 percent do screenings on some level.

“His structure remains. Its inertia keeps Illinois state lawmakers from acting in taxpayer’s interests regarding public unions, from fixing the state’s wobbly finances, from controlling its $143.7 billion pension debt, from allowing examination and debate when a record $55.2 billion budget is passed that, yet again, needs to be propped up with tax hikes.”

The lawsuit was filed in circuit court in Sangamon County. It lists 47 Republican lawmakers as plaintiffs. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon are named as defendants.

“CTU’s agenda includes ‘bargaining for the common good.’ It is a euphemism for using union contract negotiations to push through a political agenda that should be determined through a democratic process – not in union contract.”

Illinois Senate Democrats reportedly received $3 million each. Illinois House Democrats got $1.5 million each. Republicans got nothing. That means 4.3 million Illinoisans, or 1 in 3, was excluded from the pork projects their taxes supported in other legislative districts.

“Start with the Illinois sales tax, which applies primarily to purchase of goods, not services. That’s a losing proposition, given that the sale of goods accounts for just 17 percent of state gross domestic product, while the sale of services accounts for 74 percent. Failing to levy sales taxes on most of the largest and fastest-growing segment of the economy means the revenue it generates can’t grow with the economy.”

The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating whether Illinois “unnecessarily institutionalizes, or puts at serious risk of institutionalization, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” Illinois operates seven public institutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, more than almost any other state.