Yesterday former White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel was declared ineligible to appear on Chicago’s mayoral ballot due to failure to fulfill residency requirements.
In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of Illinois Appellate Court justices declared that Emanuel did not meet the necessary provisions, overturning a previous decision by Chicago Board of Elections that found Emanuel had indeed met the stated requirements. According to Illinois law, candidates for municipal offices are required to live in the city for at least a year prior to the election.
Today, Emanuel, who resigned as President Obama’s chief of staff last year to run for mayor of Chicago, filed suit with the Illinois Supreme Court to appeal yesterday’s lower court ruling. Emanuel has long argued that his time in Washington was a temporary situation and he always considered himself a resident of Chicago.
Election Day is Feb. 22, only time will tell what will come of this.