Marilyn Mulero pleaded guilty 26 years ago to a gang-retaliation murder and for years was under a death sentence. But on Wednesday the Illinois Prisoner Review Board considered whether to recommend that Gov. J.B. Pritzker grant Mulero clemency, based on mounting doubts about the conviction. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office argues to leave the conviction intact.
Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans won a historic seventh term overseeing the county’s courts. He was facing a challenger who sought to harness the unhappiness of Cook County judges of the criticisms that led to the unseating last year of the first sitting judge since 1990.
Cook County circuit judges will decide on Thursday whether to give Timothy C. Evans, the longest-tenured chief judge in county history, another term. Circuit judge Lorna Propes is seeking to unseat him by appealing, in large part, to judges’ unhappiness with the negative attention some who were running for retention last year received.
The case of former Empire star Jussie Smollett case now in hands of former U.S. Attorney Daniel K. Webb. As special prosecutor, Webb will both review the controversial decision to drop charges, as well as whether charges could be re-instituted.
After a grueling process, and a willingness to commit $40,000 to the Cook County Democratic Party, a series of judicial hopefuls learned Friday if they passed muster. The hopes and dreams of judicial hopefuls often rests on winning the party’s support.
Remaining 137 associate judges get new, 4-year terms in secret vote by circuit judges.
Michael Gerber lost his seat as a Cook County circuit court judge last year, defeated in a primary race. But Gerber, whom courts have twice chastised for improper conduct that led to wrongful convictions, is rejoining the bench this week, after the state Supreme Court appointed him to fill a vacancy.
The voting is by secret ballot, and judges cast their ballots in a process that is independently administered by the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts — an arm of the Illinois Supreme Court.
An Illinois Appellate Court panel upheld last week the conviction of Oscar Flores on murder and attempted murder charges, brushing aside contentions by Flores’ attorney that his retrial was again marred by rulings of Cook County Circuit Judge Maura Slattery Boyle.
