[1][2][3] In 2022, after more than fifty years of litigation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated the consent decree as to one of the defendants, the governor of Illinois, citing significant progress towards the elimination of political patronage.
Most city and county employees were expected to belong to the political party of the elected official who controlled that agency.
(Police officers, firefighters, school teachers, librarians, and health care workers were generally exempted from patronage requirements.)
Democratic candidates for office in Chicago or Cook County-wide were all selected by a "slating committee" of party insiders.
He and the other plaintiffs objected to the support the incumbent Democratic candidates received from public employees which were mandatory for those desiring to keep their jobs.
[1][2][3] Following long deliberation and compromise, the two sides agreed that firing, demoting, transferring or punishing a government employee for political positions was unconstitutional and illegal.
However, Shakman persuaded the court that refusal to hire an otherwise qualified individual for political reasons was unconstitutional, and also that the defendants had avoided negotiations on this point.
This resulted in a general loss of authority for the Cook County Democratic Organization (CCDO) and the mayor of Chicago.
The first black mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington (1983–1987), complained that he could not replace any of the generally hostile city workforce with supporters.
The former mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, believes that the ongoing case may soon be over, as he has stated that the government is closer than ever in negotiating a proper balance of standards to meet.