ABSTRACT
Political patronage was an accepted method for politicians to build political support for their reelection. In response to the Court's rulings on political patronage, the Republican governor of Illinois initiated a hiring freeze, forbidding the hiring or promotion of state employees without the express agreement of the governor and an agency established to oversee state hiring. Political employees who make policy decisions and have access to confidential information in the office can be removed for political reasons because their politics may prevent them from efficiently performing their job. The decisions in Elrod and Branti limited the ability of elected officials to replace government employees with their supporters. During the 1990s, political patronage cases were affected by the move to privatize local government services. To reduce costs of services, many local governments signed contracts with private companies to perform services such as garbage pickup and vehicle towing.
