1st District orders state to make good on wages SPRINGFIELD — An Illinois appellate court has ruled that back wages owed thousands of state government workers from 2011 to 2013 must be paid. A panel of judges from the 1st District Appellate Court found that members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees should get the back pay, and the legislature’s failure to appropriate enough money to cover the raises is not a reason to renege on the obligation. The ruling supports an …