SPRINGFIELD - Originally scheduled to close on New Year's Eve, Pontiac Correctional Center faces a future less clear than it was just months ago because of some muddy legal issues.

Three separate lawsuits filed by the state's largest employee union have basically served to prevent the prison's closure for now. State officials say Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plans to close Pontiac are on hold, at least for now.

And because the court battles between the state and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union don't have a clear end yet, there's no new timeline for the prison's closure.

"We're at a standstill," said Department of Corrections spokesman Derek Schnapp.

In two of the lawsuits, the union argues that Pontiac's closure would affect the prison staff working there. So contracts require the state to bargain with union officials before going through with their plans.

Two judges have agreed, forcing the state to stop transferring prisoners related to Pontiac's future until bargaining is complete.

AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said talks haven't yet begun, but he hopes they end with the prison remaining open.

"We believe that should be the outcome," he said.

A hearing is set for Monday for a lawsuit filed in Johnson County, site of Vienna Correctional Center in southern Illinois. That was one of the prisons expected to receive some of the inmates displaced by the closure of the 1,600-bed, maximum security prison in Pontiac.

It was Blagojevich's decision to close Pontiac, a move projected to save the state $4 million a year. But the governor's own legal situation also is unclear after he was arrested Dec. 9 on federal corruption charges.

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who would become governor if Blagojevich leaves office, said previously he would review the closure decision, signaling another delay in a final outcome at Pontiac.

Meanwhile, the state's financial situation remains dire, and lawmakers could face plans to make deep cuts or raise taxes with the start of the new year.

State Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, said legislation can't keep the prison open, but lawmakers could decide to put money for Pontiac in the state budget.

He said Pontiac needs to be paid for, but Rutherford also argues that Thomson Correctional Center should open, too. The mostly unused prison built in 2001 is where most of Pontiac's inmates would go if the Livingston County facility should close.

"I think it's important to open it," Rutherford said.