Pension Ruling Coming Today

(Springfield, IL) -- Lawmakers will know if they need to go back to the drawing board on pension reform later this afternoon. A judge is set to rule on whether the new pension law is constitutional. Unions say it is not because it will reduce cost of living raises for retirees and it makes current workers stay on the job longer. They say that clearly cuts into their pension benefits which are explicitly protected by the Illinois constitution. But attorneys for the state say the constitution leaves room for lawmakers to make changes in emergency situations - and having a 100-billion-dollar shortfall in the pension systems is an emergency.