Bad Judgment
We investigated the broken system of accountability for judges in Illinois, which often takes years to play out and rarely leads to serious discipline.
Explore the Project
Explore the DATA
What Happens to Complaints Against Judges?
The Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board gets close to 450 complaints each year, on average, but the vast majority are dismissed before any investigation into the complaint occurs.
Illinois Courts Commission: A look at the lengths and results of the cases
Of the few cases that appear before the Courts Commission, punishment is slow and seldom more than a public reprimand.
Case Studies
Joseph C. Polito, Will County Associate Judge
In 2012, the Judicial Inquiry Board filed a complaint against Polito, charging him with conduct that brought the judiciary into disrepute based on his repeated efforts to visit pornographic websites on computers in the Will County Courthouse.
Kurt P. Klein, DeKalb County Circuit Judge
Kurt P. Klein of DeKalb County spoke with a military recruiter about a case involving a recruit, then had the case transferred to his courtroom.
William G. Schwartz, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge
In 2001, the Judicial Inquiry Board filed a complaint over Schwartz’ decision to bar Southern Illinois Law School students from serving in his courtroom, after his stepson’s application to enroll there was denied.
Douglas J. Simpson, Cook County Associate Judge
Five years after being appointed as a Cook County associate judge in 2005, Simpson participated in an ex parte conversation involving another judge and a business owner whom Simpson had talked to about detailing his vehicle.
Francis X. Golniewicz III, Cook County Circuit Judge
Francis X. Golniewicz III was removed from the bench in November 2004 for “a pattern of behavior” and for falsifying his address when he ran for election.
Michael J. Chmiel, McHenry County Circuit Court Judge
In February 2008, the Judicial Inquiry Board filed a complaint against Chmiel, based on his actions in holding an emergency bond hearing for the brother of a political ally, after a series of private conversations.
Lambros J. Kutrubis, Cook County Associate Judge
Kutrubis was suspended for six months by the Illinois Courts Commission in 2002 after he admitted to several counts of judicial misconduct, including failing to disqualify himself from cases involving both the daughter of the woman he lived with and a close personal friend.
Christopher G. Perrin, Sangamon County Associate Judge
In November 2010, the Judicial Inquiry Board filed a complaint against Perrin for having an ex parte conversation with the judge hearing a traffic case against his daughter.
Charles M. Travis, Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Travis was suspended for one month in 2003 after a series of incidents that the Illinois Courts Commission found involved misusing his position as a judge to advance his own or his daughter’s interests.
Susan J. McDunn, Cook County Circuit Court Judge
In 2001, the Judicial Inquiry Board filed a complaint contending that McDunn’s reluctance to grant adoption to lesbian parents had served to hurt “public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”
James T. Doyle, Kane County Circuit Judge
In February 2005, the Judicial Inquiry Board alleged that Doyle had systematically violated the rights of criminal defendants in his drug court, among other acts of judicial misconduct.
Oliver M. Spurlock, Cook County Associate Judge
In December 2001, the Illinois Courts Commission ordered Spurlock removed based on its finding that he engaged in inappropriate and sexually intimidating behavior while a judge.
Donald A. Behle, Logan County Associate Judge
In 2007, the Judicial Inquiry Board accused Behle of improper relationships with two women whose cases were assigned to him.
Cynthia Brim, Cook County Circuit Judge
In 2012, Brim was charged with battery of a Cook County Deputy Sheriff over an incident at the Daley Center, an event that led to a Judicial Inquiry Board complaint that she was unfit to serve as a judge.
James M. Radcliffe, St. Clair County Associate Judge
The Illinois Courts Commission suspended Radcliffe for three months for conduct that the U.S. Court of Appeals of the Seventh Circuit had described as a “parody of legal procedure.”
Project Contributors
Reporting by Emily Hoerner, Zoe Rosenbaum, Jia You, Sam Hart
Editing by Rick Tulsky