All the Democratic Party’s endorsed candidates for judge are already judges, and most of them have strong political connections. How does that happen?
Posted in2024 Primary
It’s never been easier or harder to become a Cook County judge
Another year of record-low filings have created the least competitive judicial election in memory, but many contenders boast impressive resumes, political connections, and the blessing of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Posted inJudges
Appellate ruling gets personal in back-and-forth fight with special prosecutor
Responding to an attack of ‘deep-seated’ personal bias, an Illinois appellate court panel refers a special prosecutor for sanctions before the Illinois bar and renews hope for one alleged victim of Chicago police torture.
Posted inCivil Courts
Asylum-seekers in state-funded apartment in Chicago face rats and flooding
Illinois officials placed a family of recent arrivals from Venezuela in a Woodlawn apartment building city officials took to court over unsafe conditions amid a monthslong feud between tenants and the landlord.
Posted inExploited Elders
Former Chicago Citi vice president pleads guilty in elder fraud case
Helen Caldwell pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for bilking $1.5 million from elder banking clients in Chicago by steering them to invest in her slasher movie company, a story detailed in last year’s Injustice Watch series Exploited Elders.
Posted inYouth Incarceration
Illinois judge closes juvenile detention center after ‘facility in crisis’ fails to meet new state standards
The Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center abruptly closed on Dec. 31. The judge who ordered the closure said staffing shortages made it difficult to meet state standards for caring for youth in custody.
Posted inStaff News & Awards
Year in review: Injustice Watch’s best work of 2023
As our team grew, we continued to report impactful and consequential stories about the Cook County court system. These are some of the highlights of our public service journalism in 2023.
Posted inAppeals and Wrongful Convictions, Criminal Courts, Prosecutors
Prosecutors drop charges against man whose murder conviction was based on legally blind witness
“This is the best Christmas gift ever,” said Nakesha Harris, whose son, Darien Harris, spent more than a decade in prison for a murder conviction based largely on the testimony of a witness who was legally blind.
Posted inReentry
Ronnie Carrasquillo is adjusting to freedom after nearly half a century in Illinois prisons
Carrasquillo came home in October after an appellate court ruled his 200-to-600-year sentence was excessive, and his numerous applications for parole were unfairly denied. Now, Carrasquillo is enjoying his family, learning technology, and speaking out about his case.
Posted inJudges
Unsealed records reveal new details about Illinois appellate judge’s alleged role in decades-old fraud scheme
Judge Carl Walker was never charged and denied any wrongdoing in mortgage frauds perpetrated by a real estate client. But a controversial 2003 raid on his law offices has reemerged in an effort to remove him from hearing a case.