State Week Sean Crawford, Hannah Meisel, Charles N. Wheeler III

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the newly drawn congressional district map into law this week. That is despite criticism of both this product and another that resets state house and senate districts. Challengers to what Democrats put together will get their day in court next month.

Illinois has seen a massive increase in spending on judicial campaigns. Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week approved prohibiting dark money groups, who don't identify their donors, from making financial contributions in those races.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has already announced he'll run for another term in 2022. This week, the state's wealthiest resident and hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin added some intrigue when he told Crain's Chicago Business that he will bankroll a challenger. He gave no indication which candidate he'd support. Our panel talks about what that means for the upcoming governor's race and how the trend of record campaign spending is likely to continue.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker headed to Europe this week where he hopes to encourage more green energy investments in Illinois and promote the state's commitment to combat climate change.

Newly drawn political districts approved Thursday have already led one incumbent Republican congressman, Adam Kinzinger, to announce he won't seek another term. We'll also discuss other legislation that made it through the Illinois General Assembly. Host Sean Crawford is joined by Statehouse Editor Hannah Meisel, Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and Chicago Tribune Chief Political Reporter Rick Pearson.

There was a court ruling and more legal challenges to Illinois Democrats' effort at crafting new state legislative and congressional boundaries. Our panel discusses the latest happenings surrounding the once-a-decade redistricting process and why Republicans are likely to wind up on the short end.