Kendall County Times

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker donated $1 million to the campaigns of Illinois Supreme Court candidates Mary O’Brien and Elizabeth Rochford, according to the Center Square. The governor later signed a law in 2022 that capped contribution limits in such campaigns to $500,000 from “any single person,” despite his donation totaling $2 million.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is also a top-tier donor. Welch donated a total of $500,000, of which $350,000 went to O’Brien, and Rochford received $150,000 from The People for Emanuel Chris Welch fund. 

Welch is a defendant in the Macon County gun-ban challenge and the challenge against Illinois’ no-cash bail law that’s currently on hold pending appeal. The court has already completed a direct appeal from the Illinois Attorney General. 

Chris Forsyth, who works for the nonpartisan Judicial Integrity Project out of Colorado, spoke against politicians making top donations. He claimed it could be seen as unethical. He added that the campaign donations should be closely watched by the State of Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board. 

“Political donations can lead to issues of judicial integrity, and the U.S. Supreme Court has said so,” Forsyth said. “In some cases, they have found political donations to be so grave that there is a conflict of interest that is impermissible.”

The Illinois Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the no-cash bail case on March 14. It’s unclear if O’Brien and Rochford will be relieved of the case. However, since they are on the receiving end of the funds it is possible to claim “took no part” in cases where opinion is concerned.