J.B. Pritzker

Rule Changes

Asked Congress on Nov. 4 to let the federal hemp ban take effect

Most Illinois sellers must stop selling hemp-derived THC drinks on Nov. 12, but the state has agreed not to enforce the ban against about 250 businesses involved in a federal lawsuit until Nov. 19. That is when U.S. District Judge Martha Pacold is scheduled to hear their request to block the law.

Updated 10 hours ago

Rule Changes

Rallied West Side voters with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Oct. 31 as early voting entered its final weekend.

Illinois voters cast about 1.6 million early ballots before Election Day, including more than 900,000 in person and nearly 700,000 by mail, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Chicago had nearly 300,000 early votes as of Monday, with more than 180,000 cast in person and more than 100,000 by mail.

Updated 2 days ago

New Capabilities

In office

IBM's first quantum computer in Illinois is running behind street-level windows at Hyde Park Labs on Chicago's South Side. The machine, an IBM Quantum System Two with a 120-qubit Nighthawk r2 processor and 218 tunable couplers, anchors the National Quantum Algorithm Center. IBM has not said when it will move to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.

Updated 2 days ago

Built World

Rebuild Illinois program provides the $3 million grant

Howard Brown Health will convert 10,500 square feet of administrative and storage space at its Rogers Park clinic into exam rooms, behavioral health offices and a larger laboratory. The $5 million renovation is seeded by a $3 million state grant, and construction is expected to begin in spring 2027.

Updated Nov 2

Built World

As of September 2026: Demanded resumption; was not notified of the lifting

Work is resuming on the $1.15 billion Brandon Road barrier after President Donald Trump lifted a stop-work order on September 3. The reversal followed a direct phone call from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who warned that juvenile silver carp had been found 80 miles from Lake Michigan.

Updated Sep 6

Built World

As of July 2026: Committed Illinois as a funding partner

For more than a century, an artificial canal has linked the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. That link is how invasive carp could reach the Great Lakes. This week, crews lowered the first permanent piece of a barrier built to close that door.

Updated Jul 13

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Lead plaintiff challenging Trump's National Guard deployment

The Supreme Court told President Trump he can't send National Guard troops to Illinois. The 6-3 decision on December 23 marks the first time the modern court has blocked a president from federalizing state Guard units over a governor's objections. Trump claimed protests at an ICE facility in suburban Chicago constituted a rebellion, and the court wasn't buying it.

Updated May 16