If you thought Congress had a conflict of interest in voting themselves a raise, take a look at how things work in Illinois. A Cook County judge has decreed that anyone trying to stand in the way of his pay raise is violating the law.

A Cook County judge ruled Monday that the governor's veto of a 2.8 percent cost-of-living raise for the state's 900-plus judges was "unlawful."

Neither the governor nor the Legislature can cut a judge's salary while they are in office, Judge John K. Madden ruled. He ordered Comptroller Dan Hynes to start cutting the judges' paychecks at the higher rate.