(JTA) — The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Rahm Emanuel may run for Chicago mayor.
The Jan. 27 ruling overturned a state appellate court decision earlier last week that Emanuel’s name be removed from the ballot because he had not lived in the city for a year before the election, a residency requirement stipulated by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
That ruling was "without any foundation in Illinois law," the Supreme Court decision said.
Emanuel has spent the last two years living in Washington while serving as President Obama’s White House chief of staff.
The ballots are already being printed for the Feb. 22 election; early voting begins Jan. 31.
Emanuel, a former congressman who also had worked in the Clinton White House, argued that he was exempt under a "national service" exception. He noted also that he maintained ownership of his Chicago home.
Two lower bodies, the Board of Election Commissioners and a Cook County court, had ruled in his favor.
Emanuel, who has an Israeli father, is leading in the polls.
