Some of Chicago’s top legal thinkers are once again trying to figure out what to do about the death penalty in Illinois.

The Chicago Bar Association has established a task force to look at the death penalty and make recommendations. Former Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine is chairing the effort.

DEVINE: You might make recommendations to the Illinois Supreme Court, to prosecutors, to public defenders, to county boards, all of whom have some sort of participation in the criminal justice system.

The Chicago Bar Association held a forum today and a couple hundred lawyers attended. One of the attendees and presenters was Republican State Representative Jim Durkin. He says Illinois will never repeal the death penalty.

DURKIN: There have been bills that are introduced every year. They get out of the committee but they don’t go any further.

Durkin says the current moratorium on the death penalty is meaningless because there haven’t been any defendants in recent years who have run out of legal options. If and when there is such a defendant, the governor at that time would have to decide if they want to maintain the moratorium or move forward with execution.