Court urged to strike down law letting casino relocate

Thursday, May 12, 2005 | 9:04 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- A law meant to let a failed riverboat casino reopen in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont amounted to unconstitutional special legislation that weakened public confidence in gambling, attorneys told the Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The attorney general's office and the Better Government Association urged the justices to strike down the Emerald Casino legislation.

"That law would, in fact, destroy the credibility of the system," said attorney Terrance Norton, the BGA's executive director.

But attorneys for Rosemont and the Emerald Casino argued that lawmakers were taking legitimate steps to resurrect an important source of tax revenue and economic development. The court should not strike down the law just because it might disagree with the Legislature's methods, the attorneys said.

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