Illinois high court to rule on reach of pension protections

A ruling expected Thursday from the Illinois Supreme Court involving a change to public worker benefits could provide insight on how justices may eventually rule on the constitutionality of a landmark state pension reform law. The case before the state's highest court involves a 2012 Illinois law that allowed the state to impose healthcare insurance premiums on its retired workers. Retirees and others appealed a March 2013 ruling by Sangamon County Circuit Court Associate Judge Steven Nardulli, who found that state-sponsored health insurance is not a guaranteed pension benefit protected by the Illinois Constitution. The constitutional provision in question states that membership in any public sector pension or retirement system "shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired." The same provision in the Illinois Constitution is also the center of attention in lawsuits pending in Sangamon County Circuit Court against the pension reform law the Illinois legislature passed in December.



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