An anti-patronage lawyer says Gov. Pat Quinn's administration should face federal scrutiny to ensure it complies with rules barring political hiring for non-political jobs.
Michael Shakman argued the point in a Tuesday federal-court filing.
It responds to the Democratic governor's own recent filing in the civil case. Quinn said granting Shakman's request for a monitor to oversee hiring at the Illinois Department of Transportation would be disruptive and undermine gubernatorial authority.
Shakman's 20-page filing calls that a "straw man" argument. Shakman argues the "role of the monitor is not to dictate, but to investigate, observe and report on" improper hiring.
Shakman authored a 1972 court decree prohibiting political hiring in Cook County government. In April, he put the spotlight on Quinn by saying IDOT hiring violated those and other rules.
