A federal judge today sentenced former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan to 7-½ years in prison and three years’ ...

BGA Policy has long documented the perils that come with the judiciary being exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. This lack of public oversight puts those in the courts’ […] ...

Perhaps you’ve heard the buzz about something called ranked choice voting. Instead of marking their ballots for just one candidate, voters are asked to rank two or three or more, with the winner ...

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 20: A sign hangs outside of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge on January 20, 2023 in Chicago. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Salaries and bonuses for Chicago police ...

Chair Kifowit, Vice Chair Rohr, Rep. Reick, members of the committee: Thank you for the invitation to speak today about one of the most important issues facing our state: How to reinvest in our ...

For first-time watchers, Chicago’s City Council can seem incomprehensible. Most of the business is done in a routine, rapid-fire succession of votes and gavel raps, punctuated by repetitions of the ...

In-Person Public Comment During each City Council meeting, 30 minutes is dedicated to public comment. Public comment is limited to three minutes per speaker, for a maximum of 10 speakers (although ...

Brandon Johnson is the newly elected mayor of Chicago, succeeding Lori Lightfoot. Prior to his election, Johnson served as a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners and as a community ...

A unanimous Illinois Supreme Court ruling yesterday in a case called Chapman v. Chicago reverses a lower court’s ruling and blocks plaintiff Matt Chapman’s open records request for information from ...

Year after year, Springfield makes headlines for bribery, corruption and even bullying. A report from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Political Science found Illinois to be the ...