A St. Clair County judge has ordered the Illinois comptroller to fully pay state workers despite the Legislature's failure to adopt a fiscal 2016 budget.
Circuit Judge Robert LeChien on Thursday sided with 13 public employee unions that sued Comptroller Leslie Munger.
The Illinois Attorney General's Office argued lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner must first approve a spending plan for the fiscal year that began July 1. The office announced plans to appeal.
The ruling counters a Cook County judge's decision Tuesday that Munger may pay only some workers who are covered under federal minimum wage laws. That decision is also under appeal by both Munger and the state's largest public-employee union.
Thursday's ruling potentially paves the way for state workers to receive paychecks next week as scheduled.
