Former Cook County Judge James R. Brown’s brief noted that current Illinois appeals court justice Ramon Ocasio III continues to publish a regular column in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Those columns, they note, have included controversial topics, including “‘the abolition of policing’ through the lens of the Native American ‘indigenous resistance’ who view police officers as ‘foot soldiers of U.S. occupation, racism, and misogyny;’ the ‘pervasive influence of white supremacy’ evidenced in our ‘legal frameworks, societal norms, and economic systems’; the teaching of critical race theory in public schools; and referencing Defendant Chief Justice Neville Jr. to advocate for

“While the Trump Administration continues to be riddled with stories of appointees looking to make a profit, Illinois is stepping up to ensure those who are serving the public not their own personal financial gain,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement.

While people of all income levels left Illinois in 2023, the heaviest loss was among those making more than $100,000 a year. They made up 60 percent of the state’s net migration losses. The economic impact of those departures is even greater: Filers making more than $100,000 took more than $5.5 billion with them — 90 percent of the state’s income loss.

Joshua Meyer, director of the tax and fiscal policy task force at the ALEC, said Illinois has not seen much improvement across the report’s 15 competitiveness variables: “Unfortunately for people in Illinois, over 19 years, it’s a state that’s been stuck in the bottom 10 with little sign of moving anywhere out of that bottom ten.” He said the state could drop further if it implements a graduated income tax or millionaire’s tax.

Even with the revenue growth, Deputy Gov. Andy Manar said he doesn’t see the governor rescinding his proposed revenue changes, including a $200 million tax on social media companies, because there’s still a lot of uncertainty over the economy and federal funding.

This comparative slowdown points to weaker economic momentum in Illinois, consistent with reduced business investment and job creation compared with the national average. While growth in Illinois appears to have accelerated under Gov. JB Pritzker, that improvement largely reflects a strong national post-pandemic rebound and high inflation.

Research has shown that an increase in the top marginal tax rate is associated with a decrease in entrepreneurs’ hiring activity and lower wages for their employees. Illinois already has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and among the slowest wage growth.

“It may look like a rebate. It may look like a circuit breaker piece. It may look like money up front on property taxes,” state Rep. Kam Buckner said. “I’m literally working on the fine points of it as we speak, and trying to put together the best version of it.”

A Democrat running for a third term this year and toying with a 2028 presidential run, Pritzker wouldn’t discuss the plan, which would require legislation that’s apparently still being discussed behind closed doors. Pritzker himself has had casino investments, but he and his aides have refused to provide details on how vast those holdings have been.