Judge sets date for arguments in DeKalb mayoral legal battle 5 days before primary election

DeKALB – Newly appointed DeKalb County Judge Jill Konen presided over her first hearing Monday in the mayoral legal battle waged between the DeKalb Electoral Board and candidate Linh Nguyen.

Nguyen, a Northern Illinois University educator who’s running for mayor in April, is undergoing judicial review as she seeks to stave off attempts to bump her from the ballot.

Nguyen previously called the legal challenges she faced as “strategic political move” aimed at her campaign.

[ City of DeKalb files to dismiss Linh Nguyen campaign’s fight for mayoral ballot placement ]

In Jan. 21 court filings, City Attorney Matthew Rose argued that Nguyen’s mayoral primary bid negates her legal challenges regarding the city’s November decision to toss her from the ballot.

Nguyen previously said the city’s argument that her write-in candidacy negates her right to appeal is a flawed interpretation of the law.

On Monday, all parties involved in the case appeared by Zoom.

During the hearing, Konen set the date for arguments in the case to Feb. 20.

The court’s decision means that voters likely won’t know the outcome of the case until after the Feb. 25 primary.

Nguyen is in a one-race ballot vying for the public’s support as she seeks to become DeKalb’s next mayor. If successful in the primary, her name would appear with three others – incumbent mayor Cohen Barnes, 7th Ward Alderman John Walker and NIU IT support associate Kouame Sanan – on the April 1 ballot.

The next court hearing is expected to begin at 3 p.m. Feb. 20 at the DeKalb County Courthouse, 133 W. State St., Sycamore.