Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
Injunction
In civil RICO action alleging that defendants Gov. Blagojevich and others participated in scheme in which Blagojevich took bribes in exchange for influencing state legislature to pass Horse Racing Trust Fund for benefit of defendants-race track owners, Dist. Ct. did not err in ultimately withdrawing temporary restraining order that required that any money generated by said Fund be placed in escrow account that defendants could not reach while underlying merits of case was pending. Plaintiffs' request for injunctive relief was barred since casino surcharge imposed on plaintiffs by Horse Racing Act was essentially tax that was covered by prohibition in Tax Injunction Act that precluded Dist. Ct. from enjoining collection or suspension of instant casino surcharge. As such, plaintiffs' only potential forum for injunctive relief was in state court. (Dissent filed.)