Endorsements are made only in contested races. For years, we have argued candidates running for state attorney general should carve out a bigger role in tackling corruption in Illinois politics. Across Chicago and the rest of the state, people mourned the fallen officer, the first Chicago Police Department member shot and killed in the line of duty since Ella French was killed during a traffic stop in August 2021. It is tempting to view the race for Cook County state's attorney as a choice . In the end, it was Pfannkuche who persuaded us to endorse Foxx. But we do not see an Illinois threat to those rights and we see this endorsement as an opening to skew the balance of power in the public sector to an unacceptable degree. And it's fair for her to ride waves of public animus toward law enforcement in some communities. He also repeated his campaign promises to use the bully pulpit of City Hall for directing Chicago police to press charges, which the department has the authority to do but is often thwarted when prosecutors drop those charges in bond court. Some well-known lawyers in the region are going to bat for Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, President Joe Bidens nominee for the 7th U.S. One of her Democratic opponents, former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, has picked up endorsements from at least four sitting members of Congress, including Rep. Jess "Chuy" Garcia, as well. During a debate at the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, Democratic candidate for Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx and Republican candidate Christopher Pfannkuche address how the. In the endorsement, the paper showed concern over Foxxs relationship with Preckwinkle, who has helped finance Foxxs campaign. The incumbent, Marilyn Mosby, has made a strong defense of her record, and we believe that it has merit in some important respects. She didnt tell Darryl De Sousa not to file his taxes. The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police threw its support Thursday behind Patrick O'Brien, the Republican candidate running to unseat embattled Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. Christopher Pfannkuche will run unopposed on the Republican ticket. We need to remember that. 2022. v. t. e. The 2020 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives . That means the top two vote-getters advance to an April 4 runoff. In this month's Democratic primary, we endorse attorney Ivan Bates. The McDonald case gave Alvarez an opportunity to display sound judgment. Results are available at www.isba.org/YouBeTheJudge. Baltimore Sun Opinion Editor Andy Green on The Sun's endorsement of Ivan Bates for State's Attorney. CHICAGO Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will meet in a runoff to be the next mayor of Chicago after voters on Tuesday denied incumbent Lori Lightfoot a second term, issuing a rebuke to a leader who made history as head of the nation's third-largest city.. Vallas, a former schools CEO backed by the police union, and Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers . In the primary election held on June 28, voters selected Republican and Democratic . Read the full editorial here. We support the rights of unions to represent their members and to bargain collectively for the best deal they can secure. From policing to prosecution to trial to incarceration to parole, citizens are demanding better of their criminal justice system. Van Dyke was not charged with McDonalds murder until November of 2015 when dash-cam footage of the incident was being made public as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request. Late Thursday, authorities charged Steven Montano, 18, of 2500 block of South Lawndale, with first-degree murder, weapons charges and interfering with a domestic violence report. An active and mostly-GOP push is underway to unseat him by asking voters to say No to his retention. State Sen. Emil Jones III is the latest. He can shoot it., Justin Steele and 6 Chicago Cubs relievers combine for the 1st spring training no-hitter in franchise history, Leah Palmer experiences grand time as Geneva grinds out victory in Class 4A third-place game. That will mean building connections and trust between people in law enforcement and the impoverished communities where criminals prey on innocents. Courthouse in Chicago after verdicts were reached in the trial of singer R. Kelly. TAKE THIS WITH YOU to the voting booth. He can shoot it., Justin Steele and 6 Chicago Cubs relievers combine for the 1st spring training no-hitter in franchise history, Leah Palmer experiences grand time as Geneva grinds out victory in Class 4A third-place game. Of all the Republicans on the Illinois ballot in the 2022 election cycle, Kathy Salvi, an attorney from Mundelein, surely has the hardest job. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune). This primary election is critical for the direction of pro-family issues in Illinois, and the attorney general is a key office to protecting families' freedoms of choice in education, religion, and life. Weve got to be more aggressive about working with the U.S. attorneys office to bypass the states attorneys office when the states attorney whoever the states attorney is is refusing to charge, Vallas said. Eight years ago we wrote that while the state's attorney's office had done a good job in many respects, it needed a fresh start. During a debate at the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, Democratic candidate for Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx and Republican candidate Christopher Pfannkuche address how the Laquan McDonald case degraded the integrity of theoffice. This case also should have taught her the peril of binding together the state and federal investigations. Foxx talks eagerly and easily about police misconduct cases and whether too many people are in prison. He can shoot it., Justin Steele and 6 Chicago Cubs relievers combine for the 1st spring training no-hitter in franchise history, Leah Palmer experiences grand time as Geneva grinds out victory in Class 4A third-place game. U.S. Attorney John Lausch submitted his formal resignation Wednesday stating hell be leaving his high-profile post as Chicagos top federal prosecutor later this month. Raoul shares our concerns. The board touched on a recent Harris poll that noted many Chicagoans are pessimistic about the state of the city following an election season, highlighting the fears many have regarding public safety, as homicides reached the highest level in decades in 2021. It will take a change in state law to make that happen, but Raoul says his team has made recommendations to the General Assemblys Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform to broaden the AGs authority over corruption cases, as well as to ramp up the powers of the Legislative Inspector Generals Office. Rod Blagojevich was convicted by a jury 12 years ago. Both final mayoral candidates touched on the death of Vasquez-Lasso on the first full day of campaigning ahead of the April 4 matchup, with Paul Vallas, who ran on a tough-on-crime platform, criticizing Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx for dismissing misdemeanor charges against the suspect, Montano, in November. Foxx, Alvarez and former state and federal prosecutor Donna More face off in the March 15 Democratic primary. In this important race, he is clearly the best qualified candidate. Nor have we joined the more recent chorus arguing that Alvarez's handling of the Laquan McDonald case disqualifies her from office. Shiva Mohsenzadeh was leading her opponent Jill Brickman by about 90 votes Friday morning. Beyond a polite hello in the elevator, prosecutors should be fiercely independent of politicians, especially those who sign off on their budget. It was my honor each and every day to help carry out the offices mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect our civil rights.. But it is why this job exists. Whenever an act of violence occurs in the neighborhood, he said, he tries to visit the location with churchgoers. Later in the day, lawmakers in Springfield paused for a moment of silence. Kim Foxx is challenging Anita Alvarez in the March primary race for Cook County state's attorney. They are my family, and Im their family as well, Cuellar said. The driver of the vehicle has been charged with felony counts of illegal gun possession, and the case is still pending., Vallas told reporters on Thursday that Foxxs office is not getting serious with the gun crimes.. The CBA Judicial Evaluation Committee (JEC) invites you to view its evaluations of candidates running to fill vacancies on the Appellate and Circuit Courts in the upcoming general election to be held on November 8, 2022. Illinois Supreme Court. Thursday night, a few hundred people, mostly Chicago police officers, gathered at Hale Park on the Southwest Side during a vigil for the slain officer. According to a high-ranking Tribune executive . The board added that incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot is their second choice and the candidate they feel should face Vallas in a potential runoff election. The mayor said Lausch assured her an influx of law enforcement would be working collaboratively with Chicago cops against violent crime. We support the rights of unions to represent their members. Most recently, the leader of the West Sides notoriously violent Wicked Town gang faction was convicted along with an associate on racketeering charges involving a string of murders, shootings, robberies, beatings and other violence going back two decades. I was exhausted., Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. (Steve Sadin / Lake County News-Sun). DeVore, who has the words freedom and liberty tattooed to his forearms, is best known for pursuing a series of challenges to Gov. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune), Chicago police officers place blue ribbons on trees outside District 8 Chicago Lawn Police Station on March 2, 2023, in honor of police Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso who was fatally shot the night before. Elections are opportunities to evaluate the needs of the times and of the citizens who write their public servants' paychecks. Courthouse, which is likely to be the biggest public corruption trial in Chicago since former Gov. We endorse William Tong as attorney general. Until Chicago police can show substantive evidence of reform, residents of Black and Latino neighborhoods will continue to harbor deep mistrust of law enforcement, and consequently avoid cooperating with police investigators probing the ceaseless cases of violent crime. The victim and witnesses described the car used in the shooting and its license plate, which police learned was stolen a couple of days earlier, according to a police report included in the police case file. I was exhausted., Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Nevertheless, the Tribune claimed Foxx, given her resume, would be the right candidate to restore the publics trust in the office in the wake of the McDonald scandal. In the large field of eight Democratic candidates running for Illinois attorney general, Sharon Fairley has now received the endorsement of both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. CHICAGO Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx issued a statement Thursday addressing the criminal history of the 18-year-old suspected of killing Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso on Wednesday as .