Almost 100 social service agencies in Illinois were dealt a blow in a Cook County courtroom this afternoon. A Cook County judge dismissed their lawsuit against the state of Illinois. The agencies were trying to force the state to fully pay them for work they were contracted to do during the year-long budget impasse.
Some of those agencies consulted victims of sexual assault and people who are homeless. Attorneys for the state argued Illinois doesn't have to fully pay those agencies yet, because a stopgap budget partially pays them what they're owed.
Those social service groups will now have to decide whether to appeal the judge’s decision.