Pritzker said he would love to cap property taxes. “Here’s the problem: You have to pay for your parks, your libraries, your schools and your local government,” Pritzker said.

A circuit court judge in Sangamon County threatened Tuesday to begin assessing daily fines against the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for its repeated failure to appear in court or comply with orders to hand over documents related to the death of a teenager who was in the agency’s care.

The program, dubbed the Illinois Housing Supply Accelerator, will bring local decision-makers and housing stakeholders together to examine barriers to boosting housing supply, such as zoning restrictions, permitting delays, impact fees, infrastructure costs and financing gaps.

Since creation of the Illinois’ Special Prosecution Unit in the 1980s, the unit has been the primary way criminal cases in Illinois are handled when local state’s attorneys are disqualified because of conflicts. Its prosecutors took on more than 1,000 cases in 2024, far more than were pursued through other methods of appointing special prosecutors, including referrals to the state attorney general, private attorneys, or prosecutors from neighboring counties. But an Injustice Watch investigation shows the Special Prosecution Unit has been responsible for miscarriages of justice including withholding evidence and favorable treatment of political insiders, as well as conflicts

Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 5487 on August 10, adding Illinois to a growing list of states seeking to preserve lawyers’ professional independence while addressing the rising role of private equity and other investors in the legal industry.

Over half of Illinoisans say they would leave the state if given the opportunity, and among those who would leave, nearly 69% cited high taxes as one of their top two reasons. Many Illinoisans already have one foot out the door as state leaders continue to rack up taxes and increase economic strain on families and businesses. From July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, 40,000 residents left Illinois for other states.