Kievlan v. Judges Retirement System of Illinois

Plaintiffs filed appeals with the Judges Retirement System of Illinois Board of Trustees, objecting to their classification as Tier 2 members of the JRS and seeking to be reclassified as Tier 1 members, arguing that their Tier 2 classification violated the pension protection clause of the Illinois Constitution. The board rejected the pension protection clause argument and plaintiffs sought administrative review in the circuit court which upheld the board’s decision. The appellate court affirmed both the board and trial court decisions, explaining that the language of the applicable statute and the statutory classification of the plaintiffs did not impinge on a fundamental constitutional right. (ANDERSON and BERTANI, concurring)