Juan Moreno Court Hearing: Will Joliet City Councilman Get Booted From Office?

JOLIET, IL — Will first-term Joliet City Councilman Juan Moreno remain in elected office when the Joliet City Council holds its first meeting in October? On Monday afternoon, Moreno and his legal team consisting of associate attorney Anna Rose Bertani of Tomczak Law Group and fellow downtown Joliet attorney Frank Andreano suffered a legal setback when Will County Judge Jennifer Lynch declined to dismiss the petition seeking to oust Moreno from office.

The Will County State's Attorney Office, led by assistant state's attorney Scott Pyles, argued that Moreno should not be allowed to remain on the City Council because Moreno was living in Troy Township, not the city of Joliet, for one year prior to filing his candidacy to seek the Joliet City Council in 2024. Moreno was the top vote getter in the April municipal elections. He was elected to the City Council along with incumbents Joe Clement and Jan Quillman.

Judge Lynch will reconvene the case on Friday morning. Andreano and Bertani argued that Moreno has been serving in office for roughly six months and that the time to challenge any candidacies has long since passed, given that Moreno was given his oath and sworn into office in May.

Pyles argued that Illinois government case law is on his side and that it is up to Moreno to prove to Judge Lynch that he was in fact living in the city of Joliet for at least a year prior to filing his candidacy in November 2024 to seek the Joliet City Council.

Pyles said he will dismiss the lawsuit against Moreno "in five minutes. Show me something. It's very easy and I'll dismiss this case in five minutes. It does not matter to us who serves on the Joliet City Council. Is he qualified to hold the office? He voted at an address that was not in the city of Joliet, and he was in that residence for several years."

Andreano cited the case of former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel in his argument for Moreno should remain on Joliet's Council. Emanuel was working for the White House as the chief of staff under President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. when he decided to run for mayor of Chicago. People who challenged his candidacy for Chicago mayor argued that Emanuel was not living in Chicago anymore. However, the courts ruled in Emanuel's favor, and he went on to become the mayor of Chicago, Andreano pointed out.