SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Supreme Court will now decide whether George Ryan is left with no pension or collects nearly $60,000 annually for his years of government service that weren’t tied to the corruption conviction that landed him in federal prison.

A state pension board stripped Ryan of any pension benefits but an appeals court overturned part of that decision and said Ryan is entitled to a pension for the years not tied to his conviction.

The state appealed and the arguments played out this morning before the Illinois Supreme Court Justices.

Former Gov. Jim Thompson is again representing Ryan. He argued that each time someone is elected to office, it’s a new membership in the pension system. Therefore Ryan’s early years of service are still valid grounds for granting a pension, which would amount to roughly $5,000 a month — less than half what he’d have received if he’d never run afoul of the law.