Last year he ruled that an ordinance passed unanimously by the Cook County Board of Commissioners banning the detention of youth under 13 was invalid because it conflicted with Illinois law. Recently, Toomin has come under fire for what some see as an overly punitive approach to juvenile justice. He has also been part of an investment club with indicted alderman and longtime Democratic powerbroker Ed Burke, Injustice Watch reported last week. Attorney Dan Webb during a status hearing concerning actor Jussie Smollett at the Leighton Criminal Court building, Friday, Aug. Judge Michael Toomin speaks following the swearing in of former U.S. Vanecko, in the death of David Koschman, and the ongoing case against Smollett. He has presided over several high-profile cases that have put him at odds with the party establishment, including the manslaughter case against former Mayor Richard M. Toomin was first appointed to the bench in 1980, making him one of the circuit court’s longest-serving sitting judges.
Two other women, a Chicago police officer and a court reporter, have since come forward saying he harassed them, too. “The party has spent years not vetting and just overall retaining judges, so I think it’s really important to recognize that we’re going into this election with two no votes on retention for judges.”Īraujo was placed on leave in 2018 after an assistant Cook County state’s attorney accused him of sexual harassment. “I’m really proud of the party for even being open to not retaining judges,” O’Keefe said in an interview with Injustice Watch after the vote. Political consultant and 40th Ward Committeewoman Maggie O’Keefe said newer commiteepeople like herself who are not “lock and step with the party” paved the way for a more critical look at judges running for retention. “I’ve taken great pride in earning the respect of my colleagues, the legal community as well as the citizens of cook county.”
“I am extremely disappointed by the party’s decision to single me out as I seek retention on the November 3rd ballot for reasons that clash with the widely accepted virtues of judicial independence,” Toomin said in the statement. Tunney and Reilly did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Ī spokesperson for Toomin alleged in an emailed statement that the party’s vote was retaliation for the judge’s appointment of special prosecutor Dan Webb, who has criticized how Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office handled the case against former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. Aldermen Tom Tunney (44th) and Brendan Reilly (45th) both voted against the non-endorsement. Circuit Court judges run for retention every six years and must garner 60 percent “yes” votes to keep their seats.īut at a meeting Monday, the Cook County Democratic Committee voted unanimously not to endorse Araujo, and all but two committeemen voted not to endorse Toomin, according to the political news site The Daily Line. During the last retention election, in 2018, the Democratic Party dropped Judge Matthew Coghlan from their endorsement in the face of Injustice Watch reporting about his alleged involvement in wrongful convictions and a grassroots campaign to “Dump Coghlan.” He went on to become the first Cook County judge in 28 years to lose his race for retention.īefore the last election, the Democratic Party had encouraged voters to vote for the entire slate of judges running for retention. The Democratic Party’s move not to endorse the two is a rare rebuke of sitting judges seeking six more years on the bench and could dampen Toomin and Araujo’s prospects at the ballot box.
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