News
Fighting for her job, Cook County judge says she didn’t mean to mislead
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Cook County Judge Beatriz Santiago pleaded for her job Tuesday, saying she had not intentionally deceived her mortgage lender on sworn documents.
Bad Judgment
In Illinois, punishment is slow and lenient for errant judges
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It commonly takes years to act against judges who violate the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct, and the punishment seldom is more than a public reprimand, Injustice Watch’s first investigation found.
Bad Judgment
Marriage Court: Cook County’s $180,000 judicial rubber room
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As judicial misconduct investigations drag on, judges in limbo outside courtrooms — with pay.
Data
Illinois Courts Commission: A Look at the Lengths and Results of the Cases
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Of the few cases that appear before the Courts Commission, punishment is slow and seldom more than a public reprimand.
Bad Judgment
Illinois Courts Commission: What Makes for a Serious Case
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The Courts Commission is the seven-member body that decides on what, if any, discipline to impose for judicial misconduct, once it is charged by the Judicial Inquiry Board.
Data
What Happens to Complaints Against Judges?
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On an average year the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board gets close to 450 complaints, but a step by step walk through of the complaint process shows that a majority of cases are dismissed before any investigation into the complaint occurs. Of the minority of complaints that do get investigated, most are dismissed or dealt with confidentially. Even fewer complaints are made known to the public.
Bad Judgment
Illinois Courts Commission: A System Borne from Scandal
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The Illinois system of disciplining judges first was enacted in 1970, after two state Supreme Court Justices, Ray Klingbiel and Roy J. Solfisburg Jr., fell under scrutiny for having acquired shares in a new Chicago bank just before they took part in deciding a case in favor of one of the bank’s executives.
Capsules
Joseph C. Polito, Will County Associate Judge
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Polito was suspended by the Illinois Courts Commission for 60 days in 2013. Polito retired from the bench in July this year and is now collecting a monthly pension of $6,415.78.
Capsules
Kurt P. Klein, DeKalb County Circuit Judge
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Kurt P. Klein of DeKalb County became an associate judge in 1995, and was appointed to an open circuit judge seat in 2001. He won election for a full term the following year, and retired from the bench in 2012.
Capsules
William G. Schwartz, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge
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First District Circuit Judge of Jackson County, was appointed as associate judge in 1986, then appointed to a vacancy on the circuit court before winning election to that seat in 1992. 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.