Who filed the lawsuits?
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in U.S. District Court in Chicago late last year. The group pushed for a temporary restraining order against the Secretary of State’s office on Dec. 29, which led White to put a hold on the registration. The ACLU argued the $1,000 fee was unconstitutional and provided more money than what the secretary of state’s office needed to monitor lobbyists. The court ruled Feb. 12 that the fees were unconstitutional. A similar lawsuit filed by the Illinois Society of Association Executives in Sangamon County is still being considered in court. ISAE Executive Director Pamela Tolson said the association met two weeks ago with the secretary of state’s office and House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago. The discussion, Tolson said, brought up several options to resolve some of the disputed issues. They included a possible $300 “flat fee” for all lobbying groups, along with biannual expenditure reports for 2010 only. She said the secretary
