IL Jobs Screened for Political Rules after Hires

Gov. Pat Quinn's administration says when questions arose about political hiring, officials evaluated already-filled jobs to ensure they were positions for which an applicant's political loyalty could be considered.

But a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on government hiring in Illinois requires that question be answered before a job offer is extended.

Democrat Quinn was hit by a lawsuit this week after a report last year claimed Illinois Department of Transportation hiring was improperly based on political connections.

Spokesman Guy Tridgell says IDOT later found that 50 of 61 jobs shouldn't have been political hires. He says the jobs were evaluated before hiring but the job descriptions changed.

The claims, and the Quinn administration's response, are raising questions about how closely the Quinn administration follows state hiring rules.