A law that would make Illinois the first jurisdiction in the world to ban financial institutions from charging “interchange fees” on the tax and tip portions of debit and credit card transactions finally got its day in court Oct. 22, nearly 18 months after its passage.
U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall’s ruling – expected in the coming weeks – will determine the legality of the “Interchange Fee Prohibition Act,” which was folded into Illinois’ Fiscal Year 2025 budget package in May 2024 by Democrats who control the General Assembly.
The move was championed by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which positioned the law as pro-consumer, as retailers often pass the fees onto customers. But other business groups, which are typically aligned with IRMA, balked at the idea, claiming it would cause “credit card chaos.”
Nearly a year ago, Kendall issued a preliminary injunction preventing the law from applying to federally chartered banks, later extending it to out-of-state banks that operate in Illinois, after banks and credit unions sued over the law in August 2024.
But credit unions, Illinois-based banks and credit card companies are not covered by the judge’s ruling, so lawmakers this past spring delayed the IFPA’s effective date from July 1, 2025, for another year, giving the case time to play out in court.
Anticipation for the ruling goes beyond just the parties in the case. In the last year, 22 other state legislatures have considered – and rejected – similar bans on credit card swipe fees. But Illinois Bankers Association Executive Vice President Ben Jackson told reporters that the legal fight isn’t the only avenue financial institutions are counting on.
“Our legislative allies – and there are many of them … – are really very eager to move forward with a repeal effort this spring,” he said.
Oral arguments
The judge heard two hours of highly technical arguments Oct. 22 as she prepares to rule on the financial institutions’ motion for summary judgment. In their original lawsuit, plaintiffs argued the law would “upend the intricate and carefully calibrated global systems for debit and credit card purchases.”
But the recent arguments focused more on questions of law, including whether the state of Illinois exceeded its authority by adopting the IFPA.
IRMA requested the interchange fee ban during May 2024 budget negotiations to mitigate the effects of Gov. JB Pritzker’s push to cap a monthly sales tax deduction claimed by retailers at $1,000 to generate $101 million annually for state coffers.
This article appears in November SBJ 2025.