Most Chicago cops accused of serious misconduct have opted to take their disciplinary cases to arbitration as an appellate court panel considers whether such proceedings can be held behind closed doors.

The appellate judges are expected to issue their ruling on Friday, although it could soon be appealed to the state Supreme Court.

The yearslong battle over police discipline previously stretched from the union bargaining table to the City Council floor and the courtroom of Cook County Judge Michael Mullen, who last March ruled that officers could elect to have their cases heard by an arbitrator instead of the Chicago Police Board.

Mullen also ruled that the arbitration cases shouldn’t be held in private, prompting the appeal from Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police.

Since then, the poli

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