Groups with ties to the pension-reform law adopted last month have contributed close to $3 million to Illinois Supreme Court justices who might decide its fate.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports six of seven justices have taken money in the past 13 years from labor unions, business groups and a political committee controlled by House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Most of the pension-related money went to former Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride. He accepted $2.5 million from both Madigan and business groups in a 2010 retention battle. Current Chief Justice Rita Garman says court decisions are based on constitutional standards, not politics.