Filed under: News, Politics, President Obama
Ending days of suspense and speculation, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Rahm Emanuel can continue his bid for mayor of the nation's third largest city.
The ruling came in a 7-0 decision that was handed down late Thursday, paving the way for Emanuel to replace longtime Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in a Feb. 22 election. The ruling came just in time for his name to be printed on the ballot for early voting, which begins Monday.
Emanuel is the leading contender, with double-digit poll numbers and a war chest of more than $10 million. He's running against city clerk Miguel del Valle, former Illinois state Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, Gery Chico, Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins and William Walls.
Thursday's 25-page Illinois Supreme Court decision overturned Monday's Appellate Court decision, which ruled that Emanuel did not meet residency requirements. The decision was based on his lawyers' argument that he was qualified to run under an area of the state's election code that grants residency status to servicemen and women who leave their home state to serve the country. They contended that he moved to Washington, D.C., to work as chief of staff for President Barack Obama, a federal position. The appellate court disagreed but was overturned by the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court justices argued that Emanuel was born in Chicago and, in December 1998, purchased a Chicago home (the Hermitage House), which he still owns. The candidate lived with his family in that home from 1998 through January 2009. He moved to work for the president.
Meanwhile, Emanuel paid property taxes on the Hermitage House, while continuing to hold an Illinois driver's license. He also listed the Hermitage House as his address on his personal checks and continued to vote with the Hermitage House as his registered voter's address. He paid income taxes, however, in 2009 and 2010 to both Washington, D.C., and Illinois, the court said.
"The preponderance of this evidence establishes that the candidate never formed an intention to terminate his residence in Chicago,'' the ruling says, "never formed an intention to establish is residence in Washington, D.C. , or any place other than Chicago, and never formed an intention to change his residence.''
Emanuel's campaign immediately sent out a celebratory text over the ruling: "The IL Supreme Court just ruled that Rahm will stay on the ballot. Thx for your support & let's get ready to vote!'' He also received a call from the president.
During earlier news conferences, he said: "I do believe the people of the city of Chicago deserve the right to make a decision on who they want to be their next mayor, which is everything I've contended since the very beginning. Fundamentally when a president asks you to serve the country as his chief of staff that counts as serving your country. I have no doubt that we will prevail in this effort."
The ruling ended nearly a week of back-and-forth court decisions. The appellate lobbed the first serve on Monday, saying Emanuel did not meet mandatory election residency requirements. His attorneys appealed the decision on Tuesday, arguing that he never lost residency. By late afternoon, the high court agreed to expedite the case, with justices deciding to only review legal briefs without conducting a hearing.
At least one of his competitors, Chico, applauded the decision, saying that Emanuel's residency drama has turned the election into a circus rather than a serious debate about the future of Chicago.
"Now that the Supreme Court has made their decision, the residents will choose their next mayor based on the candidates' track records and their vision for Chicago,'' Chico continued. "I remain the most qualified candidate to be the next mayor and take our city in a new direction. With less than 30 days to go until Election Day, there is no time to waste. Game on."