Illinois’ highest court put President Barack Obama’s former White House chief of staff back in the race for Chicago mayor Thursday, three days after a lower court threw the name off the ballot because he hadn’t lived in the city for a full year.
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Rahm Emanuel is allowed on the ballot for Chicago mayor. The decision unanimously reversed a lower court’s ruling.
The decision reverses the decision by an Illinois appellate court that removed Emanuel from the February 22, 2011 ballot for not meeting a residency requirement because he hadn’t lived in Chicago for a year before the race.
Emanuel lived for nearly two years in Washington D.C. working for President Barack Obama as White House Chief of Staff.