Illinois court blocks petition to remove Amendment 1 from Nov. 8 ballot An Illinois appellate court cleared the way for Amendment 1 to stay on the Nov. 8 ballot. Regardless of whether the change to the state constitution might violate the U.S. Constitution, the process for putting it on the ballot was valid, justices ruled. Illinois’ 4th District Appellate Court agreed to let proposed Amendment 1 stay on the Nov. 8 ballot even if it usurps federal authority and violates the U.S. Constitution. The case, Sara Sachen v. Illinois State Board of Elections , argued Amendment 1 imposed state authority on private-sector labor relations governed by the National Labor Relations Act . State law can’t regulate collective bargaining covered by federal law, or usurp any other federal power, so Amendment 1 violates the U.S. Constitution and they argued that made it a waste of taxpayer funds. The three-justice panel upheld a June decision from Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow that the proposal violating the U.S. Constitution doesn’t matter as long as the process of putting Amendment 1 on the ballot was legitimate. But by that logic, the Illinois General Assembly could put a blatantly unconstitutional amendment on […]
