The Illinois Appellate Court removed Rahm Emanuel from the Chicago mayoral ballot yesterday because he didn't meet the one-year residence requirement.Today the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in an expedited manner. The Chicago Tribune has this story.My first and only reaction was that someone decided to give Emanuel his "comeuppance" for stepping out of the queue. I'd guess he'll be on the ballot when voting begins. But Chicago, what do you think?Update 1. Illinois State Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke declines to recuse herself from deciding whether Rahm Emanuel is on the mayoral ballot or not. Her husband, a Chicago alderman, supports another candidate. Arent we beyond that? Women have minds of their own. We have spouses in every kind of business, Justice Anne Burke said Wednesday. Good for her!Update 2. The Illinois Supreme Court: ""So there will be no mistake, let us be entirely clear," the Supreme Court wrote in its ruling today. "This courts decision is based on the following and only on the following: (1) what it means to be a resident for election purposes was clearly established long ago, and Illinois law has been consistent on the matter since at least the 19th Century; (2) the novel standard adopted by the appellate court majority is without any foundation in Illinois law; (3) the Boards factual findings were not against the manifest weight of the evidence; and (4) the Boards decision was not clearly erroneous." There you have it!

Margaret O’Brien Steinfels is a former editor of Commonweal. 

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