By Illinois Review
On Friday, Effingham County Chief Judge Douglas Jarman granted attorney Tom DeVore’s order requesting to amend his initial complaint and include an additional 2,000 plaintiffs to his lawsuit challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s assault weapons ban.
DeVore’s lawsuits in total, represent over 7,000 plaintiffs and over 200 Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs). By comparison, Illinois State Rep. Dan Caulkins, who filed a lawsuit identical to DeVore’s, is the only named plaintiff in his suit.
On February 21st, Caulkins, Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul requested that the Illinois Supreme Court consolidate the three cases brought by DeVore, but keep their case out of it.
And the Illinois Supreme Court did just that.
As Illinois Review previously reported, Rep. Caulkins sought summary judgment in a case having no record as the parties declined to take any discovery. A Macon County Judge granted Caulkins’ summary judgment, which will now be heard next month in the Illinois Supreme Court.
Noticeably absent from the Final Judgment in Caulkins’ case is a permanent injunction against enforcement of the assault weapons ban.
In other words, and despite unnecessary controversy, the temporary restraining order is no longer enforceable under the final judgment.
Caulkins’ case will be heard by the Illinois Supreme Court in May.
DeVore’s three cases will proceed in Effingham County before Judge Joshua Morrison. DeVore has served numerous discovery requests on the defendants, which the defendants have declined to answer and have sought an extension of time to June in which to respond.
And unlike Caulkins’ case, DeVore’s 7,000 plaintiffs continue to enjoy the benefits of a temporary restraining order.
Please continue to follow Illinois Review and DeVore Law Offices for more updates as they become available.
