Did you know there was a Republican running against Kim Foxx?

 

[VIDEO] It's been quite a while since I've shared anything from Public Affairs host Jeff Berkowitz who recently interviewed Foxx's Republican opponent Pat O'Brien. The video you see above.

What a difference four years makes? There was great enthusiasm for Kim Foxx four years ago against then state's attorney Anita Alvarez. I'm sure there was a perception that Alvarez wasn't adequately addressing the needs of the Black community over her eight years in office.

Lately State's Attorney Kim Foxx has gotten a lot of attention and it started with the Jussie Smollett fraud. Did you know a judge who called for a special prosecutor in that case didn't get endorsed by the Cook County Democrats.

And nationally - well actually with the right wing to be honest - she's been getting some attention for he handling of the unrest in Chicago especially after the death of George Floyd and last month after the looting in the wake of a young Black man getting shot.

To also share 2nd City Cop wants to see former Democrat and Cook County Judge Pat O'Brien defeat the sitting state's attorney they dub Crimesha.

I also want to note the last Republican who held the state's attorney office was Jack O'Malley who was defeated by Dick Devine for the office in 1996. He later became an appellate judge.

Hinz: It's time to talk about the way we choose judges

From Crain's Greg Hinz and another sign of unhappiness with the conclusions of two cases involving the LaQuan McDonald shooting:

But almost nothing has been said about fixing the broken system in which we select the final arbiters of justice: judges. Instead, we stick with a ridiculous election system in which we all troop to the polls every couple of years to elect or retain dozens of officials whose performance we're in no position to evaluate. We have no firsthand knowledge of who we're voting for, so we rely on others to make the choice, and that almost always results in political insiders controlling the outcome—insiders such as Ald. Edward Burke. In case you've forgotten, he's in charge of Democratic organization slating for judges, and those candidates almost always win.

The current system "is a total joke,” says Lightfoot, and she's absolutely right. Stephenson hasn't yet faced voters, since she was appointed by other judges to fill a vacancy—a process that's is even less transparent than meaningless elections.

So, amid this mayoral race, let's have some renewed discussion about “merit selection” of judges, with appointments made based on recommendations by panels of experts who are far more qualified to make a choice than a voter buttonholed by a precinct captain.

Will that be perfect? No, but that's the way it works in most states.

Is there a risk big law firms will dominate the process and leave out minorities? Absolutely. But tell me you have any faith at all in the current system.

For Chicago's policing system to work, we need police to be accountable and held to the highest standards, and we need a civilian population that trusts and works with them to fight crime. We also need judges who know what they're doing and are held to equally high standards of accountability.

Let's have that conversation.

Heh, somewhere at home I do have a nail file from a long-ago judicial candidate. Perhaps I'll share a pic of it on ig.

Read the whole thing. And perhaps you have some changes in mind to fix the system.

Also bear in mind one of the major influences as far as judge elections in Cook County was recently indicted Ald. Ed Burke (Ward 14). I wonder how much influence he'll have once he goes to trial. 

WBEZ: White Cook County Judge Tells Black Defendant: 'You Were Never A Slave'

They say we have to watch these judges, unfortunately folks in one community can't influence the selection of judges in another community. Or could we?

I found this interesting from WBEZ and this case took place in the northwestern suburbs:

The racially charged comment came from Judge Richard D. Schwind as he sentenced 31-year-old Deon Lindsey in a misdemeanor battery case.

Lindsey admitted hitting his ex-girlfriend’s white brother at her apartment in Hoffman Estates in May. But Lindsey told police he was provoked by being called the N-word, records show.

Speaking from the bench on July 18, the judge said the slur was an “ignorant term” for the recipient of the punch to have used with Lindsey.

But the transcript shows Schwind then told Lindsey, “You take offense to a word that — you, you were never a slave, but you take offense to it. And I understand that. But the bigger man walks away. You don’t resort to violence. That’s why society is the way it is now.”
...
After hearing cases Wednesday in Courtroom 101 in the Rolling Meadows branch, Schwind declined to comment.

But on Thursday, the spokesman for Chief Judge Timothy Evans told WBEZ that the court system’s executive committee will review the matter at its Oct. 3 meeting.

The spokesman, Pat Milhizer, added that judges must abide by an Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct rule stating, “A judge shall perform judicial duties without bias or prejudice.”
...
Schwind, 66, became an associate judge in April 2012 and has been assigned to the 3rd Municipal District courthouse in Rolling Meadows since 2013. Associated judges are chosen by a vote of circuit court judges elected by voters.

He is currently serving a four-year term that expires on June 30, 2019.

A graduate of John Marshall Law School, Schwind worked for seven years for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office and then more than 27 years for the Illinois Attorney General’s office, rising to chief of the criminal enforcement division.
...
At the sentencing hearing, Schwind said, “Mr. Lindsey, it’s my understanding … the victim in this case used a term that is insulting to you. And I understand that.”

Lindsey told the judge that the slur was used “in front of my daughter.”

“That doesn’t give you a right to hit him,” Schwind replied.

The bigger man walks away, however, the N-word is offensive whether or not we're slaves. And I'm with Dartesia Pitts - who was formerly President of the Cook County Bar Association - stating: “It was totally unnecessary for the judge to make this commentary on the record at all relating to slavery”. Yes, it was unnecessary!


 

Capitol Fax: Fascinating insights into Jason Van Dyke’s judge

This was on the Capitol Fax blog yesterday just as jury selection is just about to wrap up in the Van Dyke trial and a Black juror was selected. Now let's turn our attention to the judge for this trial Judge Vincent Gaughan.

Fascinating insights into Jason Van Dyke’s judge https://t.co/ZPYwOslNYt

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) September 12, 2018

Political Forum discusses Black county court judges

[VIDEO] Dartesia Pitts - she introduces herself as the outgoing President of the Cook County Bar Association - hosted this recent special edition of CAN-TV's Political Forum with guest attorney Erica Kirkwood introduced as a past president of the Black Woman's Lawyer Association of Greater Chicago. They discuss the fact that no Black lawyers were elected associate judges by county circuit court judges.

I shared this article last month about this fact which will allow you to read up on this subject. Give it a quick read.

No African-American candidates chosen as Cook County judges add 16 to bench https://t.co/KKxYLijB3R

— The Sixth Ward (@TheSixthWard) May 27, 2018

You might have seen a regram of this on our ig feed. Ms. Pitts certainly helped to put word out about her CAN-TV program on her ig. I'm sorry I didn't share this with you before it aired so that you could turn in and ask your own questions. Political Forum is normall a live call-in program.

Judge William Cousins RIP

I'm sorry this wasn't noted on the blog earlier. 

Earlier this week we learned of the passing of former 8th ward alderman and Cook County Judge William Cousins. While I will post the note written by Worlee Glover at Concerned Citizens of Chatham, it's also important to share this write-up from Chicago Reader:

William Cousins Jr., a former alderman, prosecutor, and Cook County circuit judge died last Saturday at the age of 90. As a judge, Cousins was known as "The Prince of Darkness" for the long hours he kept in the courtroom.

As Steve Bogira wrote in a 1988 Reader profile of Cousins, "Judges are no more anxious than anyone else to linger here [at the Criminal Courts building]. Judges set their own hours, and on sunny summer days, the choice between 18 holes at Beverly Country Club and another aggravated-battery trial at 26th Street is really no choice at all. According to a recent study by a court watchers group, most judges usually have given 26th Street the slip by 1 PM."

But Cousins's courtroom stayed open till late in the night because of the deliberate pace set by the judge, who always referred to himself in the third person as "the court." "Cousins," Bogira wrote, "brings new meaning to the word 'deliberate.'" His rulings were long and detailed in order to forestall reversals in higher courts.

U of I grad. and then went to Harvard University for his law degree. And during a very difficult period of time had a tough time and succeeded. Condolences to Cousins' family.

BTW, where have I heard this before: "unbowed, unbossed and unbought". It's said to be his campaign slogan. Seems to have been a common saying once upon a time.

Charges filed in death of Cook County judge in West Chesterfield

You can read the most outspoken comments of Second City Cop:

So...not random, as in targeted.

And targeted why? Judges aren't usually notoriously rich.

So from the Tribune article 2nd City Cop linked from:

At a news conference Wednesday evening at police headquarters, Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples answered few questions, emphasizing that the investigation remained "open and ongoing" and that more details would come out in court Thursday. But she did call the attack on Associate Judge Raymond Myles and his girlfriend "a targeted robbery." However, Staples wouldn't say whether it was the judge or his girlfriend who was the target of the robbery.

According to the Cook County state's attorney's office, Joshua T. Smith, 37, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and armed robbery.
...
Police would not identify Smith's role in the attempted armed robbery, but multiple law enforcement sources told the Chicago Tribune that he acted as the alleged getaway driver.

As the cop blog stated at least one down and apparently two more to go...

Judge was killed this morning in West Chesterfield

Judge Raymond Myles RIP

The worst part about find out about this story is that I first found out about it on a widely-read right wing blog: Instapundit.

If you don't want to go to that site, there's Jack Leyhane's For What it's Worth blog. The blog typically follows the Cook County judicial politics.

According to an article from the Chicago Tribune, the fatal shooting occurred on the 9400 block of South Forrest and is said to be a suspected attempted robbery.

Another palm card mailer

You may have recieved this palm card from the Cook County Democratic Party in the mail recently. A sample ballot endorsing the many candidates for judge in the primary election next Tuesday. It is clear that this palm card is something you can bring into the voting booth with you.

StoryCorps Chicago: Former alderman says it sometimes felt like a 'useless task'

Former 6th Ward Alderman and sitting Cook County Judge discusses with StoryCorps her time as a member of Chicago's city council. She describes the job as a "useless task", but relishes the small victories even though she describes a treadmill where she can never keep up with the needs of her constituency. If you want to run for Alderman by 2019, this is an interview you need to listen to.

A flyer for a Cook County judicial candidate

Some of us got some flyers hanging on our doors and gates. The flyer you see above was attached to a door hanger that advertized candidates for Water Reclamation District, however we shall see that sometime in the future.

This flyer is for a judicial candidate, you see Neville vacancy on the flyer however most of us who are unfamiliar with the judicial system in Cook County probably has no idea what this means. Well according to the blog For What It's Worth, William "Bill" Raines is seeking a countywide judicial office.

And you can visit his campaign website www.billrainesforjudge.com

Former Ald. Lyle appointed to the county circuit court...

UPDATED 9:09 - I was just alerted to the comments in the article from the Tribune about Judge Lyle's appointment to the Cook County bench. A lot of people aren't very happy about this. Although I share this knowing that some have expressed comments supporting her appointment to the bench.

Worlee posted on his blog last night that former Ald. Lyle is to be appointed a circuit court judge in Cook County to fill a vacancy on the second subcircut of Cook County that was originally filled by Michael Stuttley. The Tribune tells us more about Lyle's future plans as a judge:

“I am proud to serve the community in a new area, and it keeps my intellectual juices flowing,” Lyle said of her appointment, adding that she does not plan to run in the March primary for judge but would consider filling another vacancy if one opened up.

It's also expected that she will give up her position as the attorney for the city council's Black Caucus within the next week. In her capacity with the Black Caucus she had been working on the remap effort.

Harlanite Judge Lewis Nixon will head Supreme Court committee on foreclosures

Harlanites, a new Illinois Supreme Court special committee charged with developing proposals to help alleviate the state's home foreclosure crisis will be chaired by Cook County Circuit Judge Lewis M. Nixon. Lewis, who is the supervising judge of the mortgage foreclosure section of the circuit court, also is the 39th president of the Illinois Judges Association (IJA).

Lewis joined the IJA in 2001 and was named to the IJA board and its executive committee for the 2006-07 fiscal year. Lewis was treasurer in 2007-08, second vice president in 2008-09 and served as first vice president this past year. Initially appointed as a jidge to fill a vacancy in November 2001 by the Illinois Supreme Court.

Judge Nixon was subsequently elected to the bench in November 2002. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Nixon was the Assistant General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development in Chicago, administering the legal department for the six-state Midwest region.

Lewis began his legal career in 1975 as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago. An adjunct professor at Roosevelt University since 1989, Lewis currently teaches at the university's School of Paralegal Studies, and taught trial advocacy at the U.S. Department of Justice's Legal Education Institute in Washington, D.C. A native of Chicago's south side, Judge Nixon attended Chicago public schools and graduated near the top of his class from Harlan High School. Lewis received his J.D. from DePaul University School of Law in 1974, and a B.A. from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., in 1971.

Don't forget about voting for judges.

Just a reminder of an older post about voting for judges, with some good advice in the comments.

Also,they suggested the site http://voteforjudges.org/ to help you determine who other lawyers thought were qualified judges.

One of the races in particular, Linnae Bryant vs. Thaddeus Wilson, that idea is in dispute. (This is the race where , whoever wins, a Chathamite in be on the bench; i may post some thoughts on this race later....)

At a Greater Chatham Alliance meeting, Bryant argued a case against using them, citing that she thought they were unfair, especially for our community.  Wilson acknowledged that you can't always trust them, but noted that there are at least 2 African American bar associations, and having unanimous approval of all 11 Chicago Bar associations is significant.

It's up to you to make the call.

How did it work for you?

Another Useless Judge

This caught my eye at 2nd City Cop. PROFANITY WARNING!

Today at branch 50 Judge Ann O'Donnell truley demonstrated she does not give a fuck about the police. In a case where a female offender pulled and pointed a loaded gun at a police officer. The judge found probable cause, but reduced bail because the family couldn't raise enough to get her out for her graduation. and with the state objecting. The judge thought it was more important to let a potential cop killer go to graduation and reduced the bond. It makes me sick as well as all the officers present. Please get this out to all the readers. This judge has no business being a judge.

Thank you

I would say that this young lady shouldn't have had bail reduced especially since this case could have resulted in murder. The message on this should be clear. That's just my opinion however.

A reason why we should watch those judges!

Swearing in ceremony for Justice John O. Steele

From the chairwoman of the 6th Ward Young Democrats:

PLEASE JOIN US!!!!

THE HONORABLE JOHN O. STEELE WILL BE SWORN IN DECEMBER 1, 2008 (MONDAY) AT THE DALEY CENTER AT 9:00 A.M. (COURT ROOM 1905). This event will just last for 1/2 an hour.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL 312-608-6012

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT,

Kari K. Steele

Making Sense of All the Judges on the Ballot

Listen to this segment from CPR. This is another idea for a post as well. After the election though. But you can read this post on the subject as well.

Also from CPR, How Do Voters Choose Which Judges to Retain?

RE: Progressive Advocacy on Cook County Judges

An earlier comment from this post :

All of these Judges are Black. Is the Alderman in support of removing them from their seats?

Response from the Alderman who said she's been busy with the Hudson murders and City Hall budget hearings:

The recommendations I made and passed out on a sample ballot encourage the voters to vote for each of these Black Judges.  It is always interesting to see the main stream media routinely recommend and endorse Judges who are disrespectful to Black litigants, abusive to Black lawyers, and generally unwilling or too lazy to keep abreast of the changes in the law.  As a result I usually discount most of their recommendation regarding Black Judges.  While there is at least one Black Judge on my list that needs to work on their performance those shortcomings are not sufficient to call for that person's removal from the bench.

There you have it!

Ballot includes votes for judges

Defender:

Voters casting ballots for county, state and federal lawmakers in the General Election on Nov. 4 are reminded to continue towards the end of the ballot and vote for 70 nonpartisan judges looking to fill or retain judgeships.

Because judges do not have opponents, voters must cast a “yes” or “no” vote. Each judge seeking retention must receive at least a 60 percent “yes” vote to remain on the bench.

Retention judges preside over thousands of cases filed each year in Cook County. The cases include issues challenging the judicial system, child custody, criminal matters and divorce.

Among the 64 judges rated “Qualified” by the Chicago Bar Association are Diane Gordon Cannon, Sharon Johnson Coleman and Shelli Williams-Hayes.

Read This Before Voting For Judicial Candidates

Read this document from the Chicago Bar Association with regards to evaluating judicial candidates. Hat-tip Uptown Update!