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With 139 presidential nominations awaiting floor action as of midday Monday, the U.S. Senate should remain in session as long as it takes – including through the holiday season – to fill judicial and executive vacancies, Common Cause said today.

Illinois has adopted Election Day registration and expanded early voting, plus other electoral reforms

Common Cause joined in a coalition urging House leaders to schedule a debate and vote on the Democracy of All Amendment before adjourning this month

President Obama’s executive actions on immigration are lawful, limited and restrained steps toward fixing an immigration system that is demonstrably broken, unjust and unenforceable. They attempt to make good on the promise of a democracy founded by immigrants. They will allow millions of families to emerge from the shadows and become full participants in our economy and our society, and build on the fundamentally American impulse and democratic principle of welcoming new immigrants and appreciating their contributions to our culture and economy.

The grand jury decided there was not sufficient evidence to charge Officer Darren Wilson with a crime. It did not declare him blameless. Its decision is not a vote of confidence in law enforcement in Ferguson nor a rebuke to those who’ve questioned Officer Wilson’s actions and taken to the streets to demonstrate their concerns. An investigation of federal civil rights violations is ongoing and must be pursued vigorously; the Brown family may still seek civil damages.

The recommendations adopted by the commission today are a welcome step toward a long-overdue strengthening of ethics enforcement in the Commonwealth. We’re particularly pleased with the proposal for creation of an Ethics Review Commission, with authority to initiate and conduct investigations of malfeasance, disclosure and ethics complaints and to impose civil penalties where appropriate.