other defects in connection with the Berg petition subsequently appeared in the press.


6
In anticipation of the filing of an objector's petition, certain of the plaintiffs on December 20 requested permission from defendants to inspect the Berg petition.  This request was refused.  Defendants also refused subsequent requests for access to voter registration cards which plaintiffs wished to inspect in order to expose forgeries in the petition.  On the afternoon of December 22, defendants for the first time provided plaintiffs with copies of the Berg petition.  They freely admit that at no time did they voluntarily permit access to the registration records.


7
In justifying their refusal to comply with plaintiffs' request, defendants relied both then and now on the following provision of the Illinois Election Code:


8
'* *of controversy and turmoil as well. On Zerhouni's watch the NIH budget plateaued, and federal funding of the agency remains level today. He also watched the success rates for new R01 grants linkurl:plummet;http://www.the-scientist.com/2008/9/1/30/1/ from about 18% in 2002 to about 9% in 2005.
Zerhouni received criticism for his appointment of David Schwartz, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, who linkurl:resigned;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54296/ from his post earlier this year amid allegations of mismanagement and misconduct. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) corresponded frequently with Zerhouni regarding NIH-funded scientists who the Senator alleged improperly disclosed financial ties to industry.
Prior to his appointment as head of NIH, the Algerian-born radiologist was the executive vice-dean of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a professor of radiology and biomedical engineering there and at