Billionaire Ken Griffin Donates $2 Million to Defeat Supreme Court Justice
Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride, who is seeking retention to the court in November, but a committee opposing Kilbride just received $2 million from billionaire Ken Griffin.
Illinois’ richest person already made a splash this fall donating around $40 million to defeat the Governor’s proposed graduated income tax amendment, now he’s making a splash to remove an Illinois Supreme Court justice.
The committee working to stop the retention of Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride reported a $2 million contribution Friday night from billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin. To keep his seat, Kilbride must get 60% of voters to support his retention question.
Kilbride is seeking retention in the November election. He was first elected in 2000 and was retained by voters in 2010. His district stretches across the state covering 21 counties from the Quad Cities to Will, Kankakee, and Iroquois counties along the Indiana border. The district also includes Peoria, Pekin, LaSalle, and Morris.
The Citizens for Judicial Fairness is a committee chaired by former State Representative and retired University of Illinois professor Jim Nowlan. Nowlan says the Griffin contribution tries to level the financial playing field.
“Our grassroots movement to end the Madigan-Kilbride alliance on the Illinois Supreme Court is now close to leveling the playing field with the trial lawyers and liberal special interests funding Kilbride's campaign and can effectively inform voters about Tom Kilbride's pro-Madigan, anti-taxpayer record as a Supreme Court Justice," said Nowlan.
Griffin’s big haul comes as Kilbride has been bringing in large sums of money, many from unions and law firms. Kilbride has raised at least $2.2 million, though more accurate numbers will be filed with the state this week.
We asked a Kilbride spokesman for a statement, and will post their response if or when it arrives.