The Illinois Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that Rahm Emanuel can run as a candidate for mayor in next month's Chicago elections, overturning an appeals court decision that had knocked the former White House chief of staff off the ballot.
The scathing majority opinion from five of the justices on the Illinois Supreme Court scolded the appellate court for adopting a previously unheard of test for residency in Illinois, saying it was without any foundation in Illinois law.
In reversing the 2-to-1 appellate ruling, the justices said what it means to be a resident for election purposes was clearly established long ago and Illinois law has been consistent on the matter for well over a century.
Two justices concurred with the majority in ruling Emanuel eligible for the ballot, but wrote a separate opinion stating the law is not as clear-cut as the majority states.
Emanuel lived for nearly two years in Washington working for President Obama until he moved back to Chicago in October to run for mayor.
Emanuel, who has said he always intended to return to Chicago and was only living in Washington at the request of the president, had asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Feb. 22 appeals court ruling.
Within minutes of the ruling, Emanuel was at a downtown Chicago public transit station shaking hands with residents.
