Injustice Watch (https://www.injusticewatch.org/news/)
The upcoming retention election for 59 Cook County circuit judges has drawn attention for the handful of judges on the ballot whose record is marred by controversial past actions. Less attention-getting are the judges on the ballot whose work has been exemplary. A complete guide to all the judges on the ballot can be found in the Injustice Watch guide. https://www.injusticewatch.org/interactives/judicial-guide/index.html
The Illinois Supreme Court Thursday declined to expand sentencing protections afforded to juveniles to an 18-year-old offender, reversing an Illinois appellate court ruling that held unconstitutional a 76-year sentence without hope of parole to a defendant who committed murder at 18.
59 judges are up for retention. 10 candidates are seeking seats on the bench for the first time in contested elections. Use this guide to help you make an informed decision when you vote.
Despite an order by the chief judge to take defendants’ ability to pay into account when setting bail, Judge Michael R. Clancy still often sets unaffordable bonds. He is one of 59 judges running for retention this fall.
As he seeks retention, Cook County Circuit Judge Michael McHale faces questions about his conduct handling a series of criminal trials. Defense attorneys in one contend he engaged in improper contacts with prosecutors.
A year after Cook County adopted sweeping bond reforms, the number of inmates held pretrial because they cannot make bail has dropped significantly. But with increasing frequency, bond court judges are ignoring the order that they not hold suspects by setting bail they cannot afford
Randy Liebich was convicted in 2002 of murdering two-year-old Steven Quinn, based on head injuries that doctors identified after Quinn, unresponsive, was rushed to the hospital. That conviction was overturned amid doubts that the injuries implicated Liebich, who had been caring for Quinn, as the murderer.
The medical examiner whose testimony in DuPage County post-trial proceedings on whether convicted murderer Randy Liebich should be granted a new trial told Injustice Watch on Thursday that she is concerned the investigation into the death of toddler Steven Quinn was inadequate.
Randy Liebich, convicted in 2004 of beating to death his girlfriend’s two-year-old son, awaits a decision by a DuPage County judge on whether his conviction will be overturned based on available medical evidence calling into question whether the child could have been injured while in Liebich’s care. Defense attorneys did not present such evidence at the original trial.
Cook County became the first Illinois county to bar detention of pre-teenagers when it unanimously passed the resolution on Wednesday. Juvenile Justice experts said it is only the latest of measures that put Cook in the vanguard of reform on issues of juvenile detention.
Carl Williams was convicted of being part of a group that committed a carjacking, rape, and murder. Three members of the group said he was involved, and he confessed. But the three other suspects, and Williams, have since said he had nothing to do with it, and that Chicago police coerced their statements. After years of delay, Carl Williams’s day in court approaches.