Illinois lawsuit against Senate candidate Duckworth in court

The spotlight in a closely watched U.S. Senate race will briefly shift to a small-town Illinois courtroom as government lawyers for Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth seek to have a 7-year-old lawsuit accusing her of ethics violations while she led the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs dismissed.

A hearing in the civil complaint by two employees of a southern Illinois veterans' home alleging workplace retaliation by Duckworth is scheduled for Thursday morning.

Duckworth's supporters call it a twice-dismissed nuisance suit resuscitated to embarrass her politically amid a campaign with national implications, as Democrats seek a net gain of at least four seats in 2016 to take back the Senate majority Republicans won in 2014.

Duckworth, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot who lost both of her legs and partial use of her right arm during the Iraq War, is being represented by the Illinois Attorney General's Office.