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Illinois Supreme Court Keeps Rahm Emanuel on Chicago Mayoral Ballot

That was fast. Earlier R20 posted Chicago mayoral candidate and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was seeking an expedited stay and a reversal of Monday's court decision that ruled his name cannot be included on the February 22 ballot. Emanuel's name will remain on the mayoral ballot, at least for now, as the Illinois Supreme Court considers the ruling that declared him ineligible.

Earlier, the Supreme Court ordered the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to put Emanuel’s name back on the mayoral ballot while it considered Emanuel’s appeal of Monday’s Illinois Appellate Court ruling that tossed him out of the race to replace Mayor Daley. But the Supreme Court granted Emanuel’s motion for a stay of the ruling.

"The appellate court decision is stayed," the Supreme Court’s order reads. "The Board of Elections is directed that if any ballots are printed while this Court is considering this case, the ballots should include the name of petitioner Rahm Emanuel as a candidate for Mayor of the City of Chicago."

The stay prevents Chicago election officials from going forward with their plans to begin printing "up to 2 million ballots" for the Feb. 22 mayoral election without Rahm Emanuel name. Printing of the ballots, without Emanuel's name had begun this morning, reports the Tribune. 

The Illinois Supreme Court's decision comes less than 24 hours after the 2-1 appellate court decision that found Emanuel does not meet residency requirements to run for office. The Court said it was still considering whether to grant Emanuel's request for an appeal on an expedited basis.

WATCH: Emanuel Seeks Expedited Appeal After Court Decision

Attorneys for former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel are filing an expedited appeal with the Illinois Supreme Court. Emanuel is seeking a stay and a reversal of Monday's 2 to 1 court decision that ruled his name cannot be included on the February 22 ballot for Chicago's mayoral race because he did not meet residency requirements.

"When the president asks you to serve the country as his chief of staff, that counts as part of serving your country," says the mayoral candidate and former congressman. "And I have no doubt that we will in the end prevail at this effort. ... This is just one turn in the road."

The residency requirements offer an exemption for candidates who have "served their country." That and more is explained in PBS Newshour's report, watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

READ: Illinois Appellate Court Ruling on Rahm Emanuel Residency

RahmEmanuelllinoisAppCt

The Illinois Appellate Court ruling on former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel as been uploaded to Scribd.

Court Rules Rahm Emanuel Ineligible to Run for Chicago Mayor

The Illinois Appellate Court rules former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is not a Chicago resident and cannot run for mayor, report the Tribune and the Sun-Times.

[The] appellate panel ruled 2-1 that Emanuel did not meet the residency standard to run for mayor. Appellate judges Thomas Hoffman and Shelvin Louise Marie Hall ruled against Emanuel. Justice Bertina Lampkin voted in favor of keeping President Obama’s former chief of staff on the Feb. 22 ballot.

“It’s a surprise,” said Kevin Forde, the attorney who argued on Emanuel’s behalf.

Emanuel’s attorneys are expected to use Lampkin’s dissenting opinion to appeal the case to the Illinois Supreme Court. In today’s ruling, Hoffman wrote: “We ... order that the candidate’s name be excluded (or if, necessary, be removed) from the ballot from Chicago’s Feb. 22, 2011.”

You will recall that Emanuel won two previous rulings—by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and a Cook County judge. The case was appealed to the appellate court.

The mayoral election is February 22. Rahm Emanuel is considered the front-runner and is leading the mayoral candidates in polling and fundraising.

Pro-LGBT Rep. Danny Davis Drops Out of Chicago Mayor's Race

A dramatic year in Chicago politics ends in one final dramatic flourish on New Year's Eve. Pro-LGBT Congressman Danny Davis drops out of the race to succeed Mayor Richard Daley and endorses Carol Moseley Braun, the former senator and veteran equality advocate.

Davis said he is endorsing Braun in the name of unity. "I'm proud that I will be here when Carol Moseley Braun becomes the next mayor," Davis said. "I come here tonight...to help prove unity is more than just a concept."

The announcement at Davis' West Loop headquarters came after African-American leaders met privately for days with the candidates in an attempt to unify behind a single contender who could improve the odds of an African-American winning the Feb. 22 election. Davis and Braun both had insisted Thursday that they would keep running for Chicago mayor. Then they met again today, leading to Davis' departure from the contest.

Last week saw the departure of outspoken anti-gay mega-church pastor and Illinois State Sen. James T. Meeks, who has called homosexuality "an evil sickness" and was the only black legislator voting against the recent landmark vote on civil unions.

Davis is a veteran progressive in Chicago politics and scores 100% by the Human Rights Campaign on LGBT issues. Davis opposed the Defense of Marriage Act, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and supports marriage equality. Davis endorsed and spoke at the National Equality March in October 2009.

In 1992, Braun became the first Black woman  elected to the United States Senate. Braun has long been a champion of gay rights, was one of only 14 Senate votes to oppose DOMA in 1996 and also voted against DADT. In 2007, Braun was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a Friend of the Community.

The mayoral field  includes former White House Chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, former School Board President Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel del Valle. Davis' departure clears the field for Braun to run as the Black consensus candidate. The Chicago Tribune adds the unspoken reality "is that black and white voters are still focused on race more than two decades after the late Harold Washington was elected the city's first African-American mayor."

Anti-Gay Rev. Meeks Withdraws from Chicago Mayor's Race

An early Christmas present ...

Outspoken anti-gay mega-church pastor and Illinois State Sen. James T. Meeks has withdrawn his candidacy for Chicago mayor today, the deadline for candidates to drop out to avoid having their names appear on the Feb. 22 ballot.

In a statement, Meeks urged the remaining Black candidates to follow his lead and rally around a single "unity" candidate.

"Unfortunately, though, our house is divided. I have met with each of the four other African-American candidates and urged them in the strongest terms to consider withdrawing from the race in the interest of unity and for the greater good of our community. ... It is long past time that we build on the tremendous successes of the great Harold Washington and his administration by electing another African-American to become our mayor. But as long as our community remains divided and splintered – to the specific advantage of the front-running, status quo candidates – we will never see things improve. We need to speak with one voice."

Meeks decision comes one day after meeting with fellow Democratic candidates U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun. The meeting was described by the Sun-Times as "a last-ditch effort to unite behind a consensus black candidate for mayor." It was anticipated that Meeks was "likely" to "drop out ... soon."

The statement made no reference to the series of controversies that have plagued Meeks' candidacy from almost the beginning. Last  week during a mayoral forum, Meeks said that Asians, Hispanics and women "should not" be considered "minorities" in the city’s affirmative-action contracting programs. The comment created a firestorm. Meeks later retracted the statement.

Meeks’ opposition to the recent landmark vote on civil unions drew harsh criticism from fellow politicians and lgbt activists. Meeks, who has called homosexuality "an evil sickness", was the only black legislator voting against the bill. Meeks also opposed Illinois' LGBT non-discrimination legislation and was the only Black in the General Assembly to vote against that bill, too. Days after voting against civil unions, Meeks greeted diners at the restaurant owned by openly gay Ald. Tom Tunney (44th). The largely gay clientele was not enthused.

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Anti-Gay Mayoral Hopeful Meeks Clarifies Anti-Gay Past
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Pro-LGBT Davis, Anti-Gay Meeks Launch Bids for Mayor
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Chicago Board of Elections Okays Rahm Emanuel's Run for Mayor

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners unanimously rules that former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is a Chicago resident and therefore can run for mayor, reports the Tribune.

The lead attorney for those objecting to Emanuel’s residency says the ruling has "political undertones" and will immediately file a court challenge. "The decisions set the stage for a court challenge that will almost certainly end up before the Illinois Supreme Court," adds the Sun-Times.

Rahm Emanuel: "Gays and Lesbians Should Be Allowed to Marry"

Why would anyone assume that the man who served as Obama's chief of staff and Clinton's senior political director supported anything less than full LGBT equality? Rahm Emanuel has always "personally" supported marriage equality, the front-runner Chicago mayoral candidate tells Windy City Times. 

WINDY CITY TIMES: The Defense of Marriage Act was signed in 1996. Do you feel that it should be repealed?

RAHM EMANUEL Yes. Always have. You can go back to my questionnaire when I ran for Congress that was in your own paper.

WCT: So, back in '96 do you think that Clinton should not have signed it?

EMANUEL: Look: I'm loyal to President Clinton. I'm loyal to President Obama. What my advice was... I don't need to get into what I personally advised them or what my own sympathies were. I believe that legislation should be repealed. I believe that gays and lesbians should be allowed to get married. That's why I thought the civil unions [ are ] the right thing to do, but it's only the first step toward an ultimate goal. If you look into my record when I was a United States congressman, I sponsored the legislation and I was clear about the legislation, and I worked with the leadership in moving legislation. What I did in the White House for the presidents is ... I've got to respect the privacy [ regarding ] how I give advice.

Emanuel is described as the "prohibitive favorite" in the race. A new Tribune/WGN poll released this week found Emanuel comfortably leading the crowded mayoral field "with support of 32 percent of voters, just ahead of 30 percent who were undecided, making him the only candidate in double-digits with more than two months before the Feb. 22 city election.

For three days this week, election officials heard testimony on residency challenges to his Emanuel's candidacy. A decision is due next  week.

Illinois Senate Passes Civil Unions; Gov. Quinn Promises to Sign

In a landmark 32 to 24 vote, the Illinois Senate has passed legislation recognizing civil unions among gay and lesbian couples. Thirty votes were needed for passage. The bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who has pledged to sign it.

The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act (SB 1716) passed the Illinois House on Tuesday by a 61-52 majority. The bill will provide spousal rights to same-sex partners on surrogate decision-making for medical care, burial decisions, wills, adoptions, as well as accident and health insurance.

State Sen. and Rev. James Meeks, the Chicago mayoral candidate and outspoken anti-gay pastor of one of the city's largest mega-churches, voted no. "Other city mayoral candidates, including Rahm Emanuel, Carol Moseley Braun, Gery Chico and Danny Davis, made calls to lobby lawmakers to support the legislation," reports the Sun-Times.

llinois will become the sixth state to allow civil unions. California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington have also passed similar laws. Same-sex couples can marry in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington D.C. and Iowa.

Chicago's Anti-Gay Mayoral Hopeful Meeks "Derailing" Civil Unions?

More on SB1716, the Illinois civil unions legislation that Gov. Pat Quinn has urged legislators to fast track. The Illinois General Assembly is expected to vote as soon as Tuesday on the legislation.

Almost all of Chicago's leading mayoral candidates support the bill. The lone holdout: State Sen. and Rev. James Meeks, the outspoken anti-gay pastor of one of the city's largest mega-churches, who is reportedly working "behind the scenes" with other anti-gay Black pastors to "derail its passage", reports ChicagoPride.com.

"Requesting anonymity, a source in Springfield tells ChicagoPride.com that State Sen. and Rev. James Meeks, who represents the 15th District on Chicago's south side, has allegedly been working behind the scenes with other African-American ministers to derail passage in the House as an effort to keep the legislation from making it to the Senate, thus relieving the prominent minister from declaring his vote, for or against, on record. 'Rev. Meeks has been playing fast and loose with the LGBT community,' said the source.

"The 54-year-old Meeks ... reached out to influential members of Chicago's LGBT community in October after concerns were raised over his anti-gay stance. ChicagoPride.com tried unsuccessfully Monday afternoon to reach Rev. Meeks for comment. Unlike Meeks, several other high-profile Chicago mayoral candidates have endorsed the bill, including former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun and Gery Chico."

llinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says there are enough votes to pass the legislation, adds ChicagoPride.com.

In October, Meeks was passed over as the so-called Black "consensus candidate", reportedly because he planned to continue to pastor  the anti-gay 22,000 member Salem Baptist Church if elected mayor.

Meeks, who has called homosexuality "an evil sickness", opposed Illinois' LGBT non-discrimination legislation and was the only African American in the Illinois Senate and House to vote against the bill. Meeks is chairman of the Illinois General Assembly's Black Caucus but it's not known how many votes he could influence at this point. Last year when the bill was in committee, White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett reportedly lobbied black state lawmakers "who were on the fence about backing the legislation" and several changed their minds.

The Roman Catholic Church and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) are also lobbying against the bill. Cardinal Francis George, the head of the Chicago's Roman Catholic archdiocese, claims the bill will "change the nature of marriage" and urged state lawmakers to reject it.

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Chico Wants "Yes" Vote on Civil Unions
Anti-Gay Mayoral Hopeful Meeks Clarifies Anti-Gay Past
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to Fast Track Civil Unions?
Pro-LGBT Davis, Anti-Gay Meeks Launch Bids for Mayor
Black Leaders Reject Anti-Gay Rev. James Meeks
Rev. Meeks Will Consider Gay Rights if He's "Bored"