Supreme Court hears arguments in Ottawa

OTTAWA, Ill. - The Illinois Supreme Court has heard oral arguments at a historic courthouse in Ottawa.

Wednesday's cases dealt with a firearms enhancement sentencing law and a constitutional challenge to Chicago's red-light traffic camera program.

The Supreme Court usually hears cases in a Springfield courthouse. But it's been holding oral arguments in Chicago since last September because the 116-year-old Springfield structure is undergoing rehabilitation.

Wednesday was one of the rare times the high court has heard oral arguments outside of Springfield or Chicago since it was consolidated in the state capital in 1897.

The Times in Ottawa reported that local teachers and students attended the arguments, but sat in a separate room and watched on a television monitor. That's because the court's limited public seating area was already taken up.