From the Desk of John McLees:
The judicial retention elections on November 6, 2018 will give all of those in Cook County the opportunity to help in bringing more justice into that portion of our criminal justice system. The 2018 Cook County Judicial Voting Guide developed by Injustice Watch which is available here:
https://www.injusticewatch.org/interactives/judicial-guide/index.html.
The guide provides information about each of the 59 judges up for retention, including four whose records on criminal justice issues are bias, negligent, and unconscionable.
- Michael Clancy – who has failed to follow the Chief Judge’s order limiting the use of cash bail –
see: https://www.injusticewatch.org/news/2018/cook-county-judge-clancy-still-often-setting-money-bond/
- Matthew Coughlin – who is credibly accused of involvement in framing innocent men for murder
see: https://www.injusticewatch.org/news/2018/cook-county-judge-facing-retention-denies-framing
- Maura Slattery Boyle -whose errors have resulted as almost as many reversals on appeal in the past 6 years as all of the other five criminal court judges on the retention ballot put together –
see: https://www.injusticewatch.org/news/2018/chicago-harshest-judge-seeks-retention/
- Michael McHale – whose contact with prosecutors and evidentiary rulings in favor of the prosecutors have resulted in reversals and accusations of bias –
There is information in the section of this website on Getting Involved about several important upcoming events in which we can still participate in later this month, including a free day-long symposium on October 30 on addressing the impact of mass incarceration on our communities and the annual luncheon of the Appleseed Fund for Justice on October 26.
Work also continues on efforts to eliminate the incarceration of those accused of a crime because they are poor by the imposition of cash bail in excess of what they can afford.