From the Belleville News Democrat

Group's political ads halted by court
Judge sets Oct. 29 hearing for I-LAW
By Brian Brueggemann
bbrueggemann@bnd.com

MARION -
An interest group that has been airing commercials about the race for an Illinois Supreme Court seat from Southern Illinois has been ordered by a judge to temporarily halt the commercials.
Williamson County Circuit Judge Phillip Palmer Sr. issued the order Tuesday against Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch and in favor of the political action committee of Operating Engineers Local 318, a Williamson County union.
I-LAW, based in Madison County, recently began airing commercials asking voters to visit its Web site to see which of the two candidates is getting campaign money from plaintiff attorneys. The Web site states trial lawyers have donated more than $500,000 to the Democratic Party of Illinois, and suggests the money will be funneled to the Democratic candidate.
The candidates, Democrat Gordon Maag, an appellate court justice from Glen Carbon, and Republican Lloyd Karmeier, a circuit judge from Washington County, are not mentioned by name in the ads. Maag has received more than $900,000 from the Democratic Party of Illinois.
The union's political action committee filed a complaint Monday, arguing that I-LAW has been spending money on campaign advertisements but has not filed statements of organization or spending reports with the State Board of Elections.
Robert Howerton, an attorney for the union's political action committee, argued in his complaint that I-LAW's advertisements "refer to a clearly identified candidate or candidates."
Howerton said Tuesday the union's committee filed the complaint because "they complied with the law and registered with the State Board of Elections, and I-LAW did not."
Palmer issued a temporary restraining order that prohibits I-LAW from airing further commercials and operating its Web site until a full hearing can be held Oct. 29, at which time the judge would decide whether to issue a permanent injunction. The judge issued the order without I-LAW being informed of the complaint, which is common in requests for a temporary restraining order.
I-LAW's director, Steve Schoeffel, said the group is nonpartisan and is not endorsing either candidate.
"We think it's important the voters have all the information available when they make a decision in November. Part of that information is when there's a flood of personal-injury lawyer money coming from the people in the Madison County courts," Schoeffel said.
Maag's spokesman, Brendan Hostetler, said the Maag campaign was interested in the case but did not request the union to file it. In a press release issued Tuesday, Hostetler described I-LAW is a "shadow group" for "big insurance companies and big business."
"They hadn't filed with the state board because they don't want the public to know that big insurance companies are trying to influence the election and secure a Supreme Court justice," Hostetler stated in the press release. "They're playing fast and loose with reporting requirements, but that's really not a surprise considering these are the same companies embroiled in scandals across the nation. They need an ace in the hole on the Supreme Court when they start defaulting on their responsibilities to consumers."
But Karmeier's spokesman, Steve Tomaszewski, noted the commercials mention neither candidate.
"I don't see how they are so horrible, other than they ask which candidate is supported by trial lawyers," Tomaszewski said. "They get very upset about that, and I don't know why."