Article: From 'hellhole' to a standing ovation; Business groups praise former lawsuit haven Madison County

For anyone following the nasty fights in Downstate Madison County between business-funded groups and the Democratic judges they've accused of being in trial lawyers' pockets, Thursday's luncheon in Chicago proved the strangest of lovefests.

Ann Callis, the elected Democratic presiding judge in Madison County, was the guest of honor at the annual banquet of the Illinois Civil Justice League -- whose members have been the main critics of Madison County's courts, calling them a "judicial hellhole."

Before Callis even uttered a word as she walked to the podium at Maggiano's, these insurance executives, doctors and business people gave her a standing ovation for the changes her administration ...

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