The Illinois Supreme Court has elected to weigh in on whether disciplinary hearings for Chicago police officers accused of serious misconduct should be held in private.

Wednesday’s decision to take up the case came after Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police lodge — which represents the city’s rank and file cops — appealed an earlier appellate court ruling that required the most serious police disciplinary cases to be arbitrated in public.

The appellate court found in August that moving hearings behind closed doors would violate well-defined public policy, which favors “police accountability and transparency.”

Police Board President Kyle Cooper said the years-long battle over police discipline has largely ground the board’s operations to a halt. Cooper has previously said prolonging the c

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