Rich Miller
Mask mess may muddy Pritzker’s legacy
By Rich Miller
This entire controversy over Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow’s odd ruling earlier this month that statewide mask/vaccine/testing mandates at schools are a “type of quarantine” and therefore fall under the state’s quarantine laws (which include individual due process protections) could have all been prevented with a simple bill last year.
Most who have watched this closely knew that Judge Grischow’s temporary restraining order against enforcing the state emergency rules containing the school mandate language was a possibility, however remote. Southern Illinois attorney Tom DeVore has been making this “mask mandates are quarantines” argument for a very long time, but he has, shall we say, a less than impressive win-loss record in his pandemic portfolio.
DeVore recently described himself as a “hayseed,” and he comes off as not credible to many. The governor has even referred to him as a “grifter,” for which DeVore is suing him (and the lawyer will probably lose because of executive immunity). DeVore is also using his recent infamy to possibly launch a statewide Republican bid for attorney general at the end of February.
But despite DeVore’s win-loss record and his many idiosyncrasies, all it takes is one judge who is fed up with following pandemic rules and an appeals court that clearly doesn’t want to touch a political hot potato, and policy disaster can strike.
Boy did it strike last week when an Illinois appellate court punted and ruled that Gov. JB Pritzker’s appeal of Grischow’s TRO was moot because the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules had voted to suspend the emergency rule in question days earlier – even though both the governor’s office and DeVore had told the justices further action was needed.
The General Assembly hasn’t done much to hold up its end during the pandemic. Until this month, the courts have mostly sided with the governor’s executive orders, so there was no real perceived need to change that many laws. The less they did, the better for everyone, was the prevailing mood. The governor didn’t have additional legislative distractions, and legislators could sit back and point fingers as needed.
Legislators did step in last year when some school staff started using the state’s Right of Conscience Act, which was designed to protect anti-abortion medical care providers, to claim they couldn’t be forced to take vaccines or be regularly tested for COVID-19. As a result, that never became a thing.
If legislators at the time had also approved similar legislation to further clarify state law that the legislature never intended that mask mandates, etc. are a type of quarantine, then there’d be no case to discuss today. Such an argument would have had the added benefit of being absolutely true. As with the Right of Conscience Act, no such result could have possibly been envisioned at the time of passage. School mask mandates are quarantines? Are you nuts?
But the governor’s people say that legislative leaders wouldn’t consider the quarantine language change proposal. Members were already being inundated with angry, even threatening contacts from constituents and outsiders who had been ginned up by disinformation outlets to what we thought at the time was the max over the Right of Conscience Act fix. Tossing more fuel on the fire wasn’t something that enough Democratic legislators wanted to do, even though doing both at once could have saved a whole lot of grief down the road.
What’s done is done. Or, in this case, what wasn’t done is now done.
The appellate court’s punt to Judge Grischow means her TRO stands, but Attorney General Kwame Raoul claims that the governor’s executive orders on school mask mandates are still in effect for school districts that are not part of the cases in front of Grischow.
Pritzker is appealing to the Illinois Supreme Court, which has been more reluctant than even the legislature to step into this pandemic topic. The state sometimes seems to be just chock-full of finger-pointers and responsibility shirkers.
The unanswered question, of course, is what happens during the next COVID-19 variant wave (if any) or the next pandemic if a mask requirement is ultimately deemed a legally defined quarantine. The future will likely not look back with kindness, and the governor should not allow such a result to be part of his legacy.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
Local News
Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School packs meals for needy during holidays
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Wishing everyone to have the best holiday season, Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School students packed meals for those in need before they went on Christmas break. The school, 5345 W. 99th St., Oak Lawn, hosted its annual Feed6 Meal Packaging event on December 4, where students gathered together, while socially distanced, with…
McCord shows off Stagg student artworks
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Stagg High School art students proudly had their work showcased at a local gallery. McCord Gallery & Cultural Center, 9602 W. Creek Road, Palos Park, featured the art of Stagg’s most creative until January 28. “Having my work as part of an art show in an art gallery like McCord is significant to…
No injuries when Metra train hits school bus in Orland Park
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong No children were injured Friday afternoon when their school bus stalled on railroad tracks in Orland Park and the bus was hit by a Metra commuter train. The Orland Fire Protection District responded to an emergency call Friday when a school bus from American School Bus Co. carrying students from…
Charge West Lawn man in 47th St. slaying
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac An 18-year West Lawn man has been charged with murder in connection with the June 11 slaying of a 20-year-old woman in the 4700 block of South Rockwell. Dilan E. Ugalde, of the 3600 block of West 62nd Place, was apprehended by members of the Chicago Police Department and the Great Lakes Regional…
Charge 2 in Ford City carjacking
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac A 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have been charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking in connection with a crime that occurred in a Ford City parking lot at about 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27. Travell Barnes, 19, of the 6800 block of South Hermitage, and the boy allegedly took a…
Police reports
Spread the loveMan shot to death in Chicago Lawn A 23-year-old man was shot in the back of the head and killed in a crime that occurred in the 6400 block of South St. Louis at about 1 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. Officers responding to a “person down” call discovered the victim lying on the…
Building a bridge at Daley College
Spread the love‘After 22’ program to help adults with disabilities By Tim Hadac For Chicagoans with developmental disabilities, their 22nd birthday can feel like falling off a cliff. That’s when they become ineligible for the special education transition services they’ve received all their lives. That ineligibility can last for up to seven years, until they…
Society failed Melissa, Chuy says
Spread the loveCalls for more gov’t funds to fight violence From staff reports Hours after police announced the arrest of two suspects in the slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th) issued the following statement. “Since the tragic death of Melissa Ortega, we have seen the resilience and strength of Little…
Charge Brighton Pk. man with child’s murder
Spread the loveDrove getaway vehicle, police say By Tim Hadac A 27-year-old Brighton Park man and a 16-year-old boy have been charged with murder in the Jan. 22 slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega in the Little Village neighborhood. Xavier Guzman, 27, of the 4600 block of South Fairfield, and the teen are in custody. Bond…
Think before you answer a Facebook quiz, BBB says
Spread the loveBy Better Business Bureau staff Social media is used as a fun distraction for some people, and taking a Facebook quiz may seem like a harmless way to pass the time. But are you giving away more information than you think? How the scam works A fun quiz pops up on your Facebook…
Neighbors
Mother Mac unveils new lights and scoreboard
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Across the nation, women’s sports are on the rise in terms of viewership, enthusiasm, sponsorship and excitement. Mother McAuley is no stranger to the impact that women’s athletics has on the development of an individual, strengthening of a team and key skills and attributes developed along the way. South Side…
Cicadas in the park in Palos Park
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Cicadas are coming and the Village of Palos Park is ready. The village hosted its 31st annual Arbor Day Celebration on Sunday, May 5, themed, “The Wonder of Trees” at The Center in the Lodge, 12700 Southwest Highway, with featured speaker, Tricia Bethke of The Morton Arboretum who presented, “Cicadas…
Palos Heights SD 128 sees enrollment boom
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Over the past few years, Palos Heights School District 128 has experienced an explosive growth among incoming students. There has been a significant increase particularly at Indian Hill Early Learning Center, 12800 S. Austin Ave. Chippewa Elementary School, 12425 S. Austin Ave; Navajo Elementary School, 12401 S. Oak Park Ave;…
Comings & Goings: Orange’s Pancake House now open in Palos Heights
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Palos Heights is the home of a popular new breakfast café. Orange’s Pancake House, 11845 Southwest Highway, held a ribbon-cutting event on April 18. Owners, Elvia Briones, of Virgina, and Fernando Cruz, of Evergreen Park, said they were very excited to be in the heart of the Palos Heights community.…
Sisters make Chicago Lawn a world destination
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Earlier this month was the Fifth Lithuanian Documentary Film Festival, with distinguished guests from Lithuania and other parts of the United States visiting the neighborhood. They held a photo session in the editorial office of…
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone, everyone
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Yet another Mother’s Day is upon us. I wish everyone a happy day. By everyone I do mean everyone. There are a lot of dads who do it alone, along with important mother…
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still…
Saint Xavier men’s volleyball finishes historic season in nation’s top 4
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team made history by advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. But the Cougars fell to eventual national champion Georgetown (Kentucky), 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10, on May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although there was…