Could a government shutdown end the Illinois budget impasse?

Only in Illinois

The Illinois budget crisis now is in its tenth month, but the feared "government shutdown" it was supposed to bring never really materialized. That's because a circuit court judge's ruling last July ensured that state employees would be paid even if there was no budget in place authorizing their pay -- as required by the state constitution. Now, however, a state supreme court decision says the opposite, and could open the door to a lawsuit that would halt state worker pay and launch a true shutdown of state government. That likely would create such intense public pressure that Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative Democrats would swiftly find a way to get a budget done. But will Attorney General Lisa Madigan pursue such a lawsuit and endure the ire of state employees and the public? Meanwhile, Rauner has changed his message on the budget in a significant way. That's our topic on this week's "Only in Illinois."