The Other McCain

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Court to Rahm Emanuel: ‘F*** You!’

Posted on | January 24, 2011 | 14 Comments

It’s the Chicago Way!

Rahm Emanuel was thrown off the ballot for mayor of Chicago today by an appellate court panel, a stunning blow to the fund-raising leader in the race.
An appellate panel ruled 2-1 that Emanuel did not meet the residency standard to run for mayor.
Appellate justices 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. . . .
Opponents have argued Emanuel is not a resident of Chicago because he rented out his North Side home while serving as chief of staff to Obama. The renter — Rob Halpin — refused to allow Emanuel to move back in after Mayor Daley’s announcement last year that he would not seek re-election. Halpin briefly ran for mayor himself.

Before you start cheering this decision, my friends, remember that the likely alternative to Rahm Emanuel is Carol Moseley Braun.

UPDATE: Warner Todd Huston:

Emanuel will certainly take this case to the Illinois Supreme Court with the hopes that they can get an expedited case.
Rahm had won two other cases in lower courts. The Chicago Board of Elections and a Cook County court sided with Emanuel in previous decisions.

More reaction at Memeorandum.

UPDATE II: Ed Morrissey discusses the arguments made on Emanuel’s behalf:

Emanuel moved to Washington DC and stayed there for 21 months, only returning when Richard Daley announced he wouldn’t seek another term. Under that definition, the statute becomes essentially meaningless; anyone who lived in Chicago for any period of time could return and run for office on the shortest of notice and dare anyone to prove that returning wasn’t the intent all along.

As if the rule of law had any relevance in Chicago . . .

UPDATE III: “Ballot? Oh, I thought you meant ballet!”

Category: Chicago, Democrats, Illinois

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