Residency Ruling Coming Soon

A ruling could come later today or tomorrow in the latest phase of Rahm Emanuel's residency challenge.

The Illinois Appellate Court listened to an appeal today of a circuit court desicion that upheld a Chicago Board of Elections desicion to allow Emanuel on the ballot.

Each side had 20 minutes to present its case, and justices had tough questions for each side.

"If hypothetically Emanuel could not afford a D.C. and Chicago home, so he rented it out but had evry intention of going back, then has he abandoned his home?" Judge Bertina E. Lampkin said.

Emanuel's attorney, Kevin Forde, isn't making any predictions on the outcome.

"We'll wait and see," Forde said. "They had good questions." 

Burt Odelson, the lawyer representing two Chicago voters who object to Emanuel being on the Feb. 22 ballot, has pledged to take the case all the way to the state Supreme Court if necessary.

The Supreme Court "can take it or not take it," Odelson said today.

Forde added that there are two different issues at hand: "Did the candidate abandon his residency" and "is his residency protected because he's away on business of U.S."

Ballots are due to be printed Jan 20th. 

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