Anti-patronage lawyers get $3.6 million in fees, judge rules

The Chicago Tribune reports on Chicago's illegal patronage operation:

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the lawyers who have waged a decades-long battle to keep City Hall hiring decisions free of politics are entitled to $3.6 million in fees.

The ruling was a setback to Mayor Richard Daley’s administration, which had argued that the lawyers should receive only $674,000 because of their limited success in the case.

But in awarding the legal fees, U.S. District Judge Wayne Andersen called the lawyers’ work exemplary. He said their efforts resulted in the city agreeing to set up a $12 million fund to compensate those who claimed they lacked the clout to get a job, promotion, transfer or overtime.

“Without the expertise and efforts of plaintiff’s counsel, the plaintiffs likely would not have achieved any recovery,” Andersen said.

No word yet from Alderman Ed Burke on this one.