Supreme Court will hear appeal of ruling knocking Emanuel off ballot

 

By ABDON M. PALLASCH Political Reporter / apallasch@suntimes.com Jan 25, 2011 01:41PM

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The Illinois Supreme Court Tuesday agreed to hear the appeal of a court decision that knocked Rahm Emanuel out of the mayoral race.

Earlier Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to put Emanuel’s name back on the mayoral ballot while it considered Emanuel’s appeal of Monday’s Illinois Appellate Court ruling that Emanuel did not meet the one-year residency requirement to run for mayor of Chicago.

The Supreme Court said it will not accept any new legal briefs or even hear oral arguments on the case. Instead, the court will rely on the briefs already filed at the appellate court level.

“This Court is taking the case on the briefs filed by the parties in the appellate court,’’ the Supreme Court’s order reads. “No additional briefs will be filed in the Supreme Court. Oral argument will not be entertained.

In its earlier ruling Tuesday, the court granted Emanuel’s motion to suspend enforcement of the appellate court ruling.

“The appellate court decision is stayed,’’ the Supreme Court’s order reads. “The Board of Elections is directed that if any ballots are printed while this Court is considering this case, the ballots should include the name of petitioner Rahm Emanuel as a candidate for Mayor of the City of Chicago.’’

Emanuel’s attorneys, heavily citing the dissenting opinion in that case, are hoping to convince the seven justices of the Supreme Court to allow Emanuel to run.

Emanuel had been leading in the polls and in campaign fund-raising.

The appellate court decision came just as a Waukegan firm hired by the Board of Election Commissioners was about to print ballots Tuesday for the Feb. 22 election. Early voting begins Monday.