Claudette P. Miller

Claudette is a partner in the litigation and government/healthcare departments. Her cross-disciplinary experience allows her to craft and achieve appropriate and cost-effective solutions—judicial, legislative or regulatory—to complex problems for a wide range of clients.

Litigation (Constitutional and Appellate Practice)

• Representing Illinois taxpayers against former Governor Blagojevich and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services in a Cook County lawsuit challenging as unconstitutional a taxpayer-funded health insurance program created by Defendants, and in the resulting appeals to the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Courts. After the Circuit Court granted the taxpayer’s motion to enjoin the challenged program and the appellate court affirmed, Claudette appeared to testify before and provide documents to the Illinois House’s Special Investigative Committee at their request. The lawsuit is in the articles of impeachment.
• Representing Illinois taxpayers against Governor Quinn and other officials in a Cook County lawsuit challenging as unconstitutional much of the legislation comprising Illinois' FY09 capital budget, including bills that raised liquor taxes, legalized videopoker and privatized the lottery, and in the resulting appeals to the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Courts.
• Representing a county board in a lawsuit filed against it by a Circuit Court clerk regarding the duties and powers, especially budget powers, of county boards and public officials under Illinois’ Constitution and laws.  Obtained a preliminary injunction against the Clerk in the Circuit Court, which was affirmed by the Appellate Court.
• Representing a hospital in obtaining from the Circuit Court an order temporarily restraining a board of review from placing an assessed valuation on previously tax exempt property. 
• Representing distributor’s association in a federal lawsuit alleging that Illinois liquor laws violate the U.S. Constitution; representing taxpayer in state court lawsuit challenging whether legislation and the liquor tax therein violated Illinois Constitution; representing amicus and submitting brief to U.S. Supreme Court case on constitutionality of state laws governing interstate wine shipments.
• Representing owners of federally-subsidized affordable housing against city in federal and state actions involving, among other things, preemption under the U.S. Constitutions’ Supremacy and Property Clauses and fair housing and civil rights laws and in appeals in Illinois and the Seventh Circuit, and petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Successfully defending challenge to the constitutionality of the legislation for public funding of the renovation of Soldier Field and the surrounding Chicago lakefront.
• Representing casino licensees in judicial and administrative proceedings against private parties and the State over license.
• Handling a variety of appeals in Illinois state appellate courts and the federal Courts of Appeal for the Sixth, Seventh and Tenth Circuits on issues ranging from federal jurisdiction to ERISA.

Government

• Counseling public and private sector clients regarding constitutionality of laws under both the Illinois and U.S. Constitutions.
• Counseling public and private sector clients regarding authority of public officials under Illinois' Constitution and laws.
• Counseling nonprofit clients regarding property and sales tax exemptions.
• Advising state and county officials regarding constitutionality of budget mechanisms.
• Representing county hospital before federal and state officials on Medicaid reimbursement.
• Representing cultural and educational institutions in obtaining state funding.
• Providing legislative representation at federal and state level and monitoring legislation and regulations.