>> The Illinois Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Thursday in a long-running legal fight that will determine whether Chicago police officers accused of serious misconduct must face public disciplinary hearings.

The court's decision will determine the fate of the years long effort to reform the Chicago Police Department.

According to Attorney General, Kwame Raoul.

Our Heather Sharon joins us now with more.

breakdown this legal fight for us.

It started back in early 2024.

That's right.

So for 60 years, Chicago police officers accused the most serious forms misconduct which could result in a suspension of at least a year or termination.

Had their feats decided by the Chicago Police Board, which is made up of 7 members appointed by the mayor confirmed by the City council.

>> That meets in public.

But back in the early 2020 is it was a long time ago.

Now the Chicago police union, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 Challenge that saying their members deserve to have those cases resolve to behind closed by a single arbitrator.

Now the city challenge that in court and a Cook County judge and an appeals court agreed with the city sort He said an arbitrator should make those decisions.

But those decisions should be made after a public hearing so that the public knows what happened.

That is what the Illinois Supreme Court is going to decide, OK?

So why is Attorney General Raul been concerned about the impact of the Illinois Supreme Court's decision of this case on the consent decree, which is, of course, that federal court order that requires the police department to stop or to violating the constitutional rights of black and Latino Chicagoans.

Well, as part of that agreement, the city acknowledged that it had done a poor job of holding officers accountable for misconduct and pledged to operate with more transparency.

The attorney general said that's not possible if the serious cases are resolved outside of public he says if these cases do not take place in the sunshine, Chicagoans will have no trust that the Chicago Police Department is actually policing its own, which course has been a very fraught issue for a number of tech its course.

you'll be covering the arguments.

Heather, what are you going to be listening for?

Well, the city is going to argue it along with the attorney general that Chicago from right to know what happens in these cases and they have the right to know weather Chicagoans have had their rights violated in a serious manner by police officers.

Now lawyers for the unions are going to stay.

Look, we deserve to be treated no differently than any other city employee accused of serious misconduct.

Those decisions are made behind closed doors.

The public doesn't always know what happens.

This will be a major decision by the Supreme Court which is made up of 5 Democrats and 2 Republicans, which will have significant impacts on those.

Chicago is police accountability system for likely decades to OK, something to follow.

Morris had a stroke.

Thanks so much.

Thanks, Brandis.

And you can read Heather's full story on our website.

It is all at W T Tw Dot com slash news.