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Court Vacates Cook County Ruling On State Paychecks

state of Illinois

Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger on Friday praised the First District Appellate Court's decision to vacate the Cook County Circuit Court order to pay certain state employees at federal minimum wage while denying paychecks to others.

"Today's ruling removes any conflict between court decisions and allows my office to continue paying all state employees for their work," she said in a statement. "My priority has consistently been to comply with federal mandates and do everything in my power under the law to pay workers for services they are already providing the state.

"Time will tell what, if any, additional court action occurs, but I remain confident that paying state employees for their work is the legal, fiscally responsible, and right thing to do."

A St. Clair County judge had authorized the comptroller to pay workers' salaries. That contradicted a Cook County judge who ordered the opposite in a separate case. 
 
Both of those rulings were appealed, and there's a chance that a ruling in the St. Clair County appeal could contradict the First District Appellate ruling. 
 
Meanwhile, the Illinois Supreme Court is not ready to weigh in on whether state employees can be paid while the government is in gridlock. Attorney General Lisa Madigan says that creates an opportunity for confusion -- not to mention political headaches. 

 
Madigan had asked the state's high court to do away with that chance, by taking up the question itself. Days later, Illinois' Supreme Court justices issued a two-word response: motion denied.

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