East Central Reporter

The issue of gerrymandering in Illinois is under renewed scrutiny as the U.S. Supreme Court has delegated the task of addressing extreme partisan gerrymandering to individual states. Illinois may soon join Pennsylvania and North Carolina, which have had their redistricting plans overturned based on similar constitutional grounds.

In 2016, a significant movement was launched in Illinois with over 600,000 residents supporting an effort to end partisan redistricting through a Fair Map Ballot Initiative. However, this initiative was halted by the Democrat-controlled Illinois Supreme Court following a lawsuit filed by former Commonwealth Edison executive John Hooker. Hooker was later convicted for bribery charges linked to former Speaker Michael Madigan, who also faced conviction in his federal corruption trial.