The Illinois Supreme Court has issued its much-anticipated opinion in Kanerva v. Weems. Kanerva represents the Court’s first opportunity to address the state Constitution’s Pension Protection Clause since the Illinois General Assembly enacted pension reform eight months ago. In the wake of the 6-1 decision, the task facing defenders of reform likely has gotten significantly more difficult. Our … Continue Reading
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that opinions in two cases addressing public employee pensions, Kanerva v. Weems and People ex rel. Madigan v. Burge, will be filed tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. With the Governor having signed a comprehensive state pension reform act only eight months ago, the opinions – Kanerva in particular – might provide … Continue Reading
Today the Arizona Supreme Court has handed down its much-anticipated decision in Fields v. The Elected Officials’ Retirement Plan. In Fields, the Court unanimously struck down a pension reform package enacted by the legislature in 2011, finding that the statute violated the Pension Clause of the Arizona Constitution. The decision will be much debated in Illinois, where … Continue Reading
