Retired Judge Has Questions
- To avoid raising concerns of a conflict of interest by a skeptical public, the top criminal courts judge in Cook County stepped aside last week to let another judge decide whether to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate how actor Jussie Smollett’s case was handled.
But the retired judge who is calling for the special prosecutor now wants to know how Judge LeRoy K. Martin Jr. settled on sending the case to veteran Judge Michael Toomin, court records show.
Martin on Friday announced he would “transfer” the matter to Toomin, head of the Juvenile Division and one of the most senior judges on the Cook County bench, after retired state Appeals Court Judge Sheila O’Brien called for Martin to recuse himself. Martin’s son, LeRoy Martin III, was hired last year as an assistant state’s attorney, and O’Brien argued that Martin might have faced a conflict because State’s Attorney Kim Foxx could be called as a witness.
In a motion filed Monday, O’Brien notes that in court Friday, Martin said he had “called Judge Toomin” and “spoke to him” about transferring O’Brien’s petition to him.
Is Shield O'Brien running for office? Because she seems to be pointing out the appearances of corruption and she's irritating the correct people in order to run as a "reformer," though that term has lost all meaning in Cook County.
Pointing out that Martin Jr. got to pick the judge substituting in for his own conflicted status doesn't lend much credence to an already corrupt process.
Pointing out that Martin Jr. got to pick the judge substituting in for his own conflicted status doesn't lend much credence to an already corrupt process.
Labels: corruption, county
posted by SCC at 12:02 AM
35 Comments:
Sunshine is the best disinfectant.
Keep up the good work!
I am colloquially recusing myself from this thread.
I came OTJ in the mid 1960's.
Hands down, LeRoy Martin was absolutely the most corrupt CPD superintendent since my appointment under the late O.W. Wilson.
The question is: Does the apple fall far from the tree?
I don’t know who she is but I like how she’s not letting this go away so easily.
She’s right. I thought this was shady too. Looks like they’re trying hard to pull a Kim Fixx for Kim Foxx. This place is so corrupt there’s nothing anyone can do.
The retiree wants Ann BURKES spot on the supreme court.
The only way to get that spot is to be appointed and if you aint fixing cases you aint getting slated.
Lisa madigan indicted NOBODY all those years she was Attorney General and KWAME can barely indict juveniles when he was a diaper lawyer at 1100 hamilton.
NEVER forget judges all want a better gig for that pension and less work.
Is she going to drop charges on Ald. Joe Moreno?
Sheila O'Brien continues to hit the nail on the head. But it's worth noting that the real conflict was NOT that Judge Leroy Martin's son is ASA Leroy Martin. His son is junior in the office and too far removed to have anything to do with this case. The real conflict is two fold 1) that Sheila O'Brien will likely call Kim Foxx as a witness and O'Brien had reason to question how Judge Martin would treat her as a witness. Also, 2) one would be VERY reasonable to conclude that the reason ASA Leroy Martin even got hired into the CCSAO is because his dad called in a favor to Kim Foxx and she delivered. That means that he now owes Kim Foxx a big favor in return - plain and simple.
Finally, he is proving himself to be a stubborn moron too. He should have just said, "fine, i'll recuse myself in order to ensure that the public has no reason to question this process". Then he should have asked the Supreme Court to appoint another judge from somewhere else outside of Cook County to handle it all. But no, that would be too ethical - too clean. So instead, he doesn't "recuse" himself. Instead, he chooses Toomin to make the decision and then he strolls over to juvenile court and talks to Judge Toomin in person. What did they talk about? Only the fly on the wall knows.
As an aside, did both Judge Martin and Kim Foxx miss the day in law school when recusal was taught? What can't either one of them seem to grasp. When it comes to recusal, half-measures are the worst. Not only does a half-measure not accomplish the underlying goal that recusal seeks to accomplish (I.e. maintaining public confidence in the process), it does just the opposite and convinces the public that when confronted by an attempt to stop corruption, Cook County officials wills top at nothing to avoid doing the right thing. They will not succumb to justice but will find a more creative, more shady and more unethical and secretive way to avoid doing the right thing.
I'm sick of all of those who refuse to do the right thing.
Leroy Martin Jr. is the fox guarding the hen house.
Toomin is a good choice.
This case is being sent to a juvenile court judge! This is not by coincidence. Crimesha Wolf has only worked in the juvenile court system as an ASA. I’ve heard from several former coworkers that she got her political start and connection in that system. Don’t expect this judge to do the right thing. Remember who signs his paycheck. You have to go outside of Crook County to avoid the machine’s influences.
O'Brien for States Attorney - The change starts now.
And all this bullshit with Jussie is making too much heat for continued shenanigans. All eyes are on how Foxx is going to handle Proco Joe! You’ve heard the call, Lightfoot! Will you rise to the occasion or just let the corruption continue unabated?
Anonymous Anonymous said...
She’s right. I thought this was shady too. Looks like they’re trying hard to pull a Kim Fixx for Kim Foxx. This place is so corrupt there’s nothing anyone can do.
5/15/2019 01:23:00 AM
You are so correct, think the President the greatest ever Trump will never let air force 1 the beautiful plane set down in any Chicago airport don';t want that swamp water to even hit the wheels! the scum that is elected here, the massive corruption everywhere we need the army here to lock up the city hall, the county building, the state house cretins. When the liberal media does story after story on Chicago,crook county, Illinois being the most corrupt the most in debt in the entire country it says a lot! the feds really need that massive broom the good citizens need a chance, the police need to be back doing the job!
How many more bodies have to drop, how many more shot and maimed,raped, car jacked, ow many more downtown robbed beaten,how many more women disappeared (The dept is looking into over 55 missing gone over the years as a possible serial killer about time, the huge amount of detectives assigned to lying smollet and few assigned too this).
At the very least this should be sent out of cook county. No way these people are going to rule against each other. There's a deep code of silence between all these judicial types.
Shke the tree, and the rotten nuts fall off!
keep digging judge, for a judge to turn on their own means so much overwhelming evidence and corruption even they cannot stand it!
If she's planning a run I say go for it. She's already put the work in.
Put your bets on Sheila. She knows her stuff.
The apple don't fall far from the tree because it's supposed
to decay and provide fertilizer for the seeds inside to make
new apple trees (with a little help from the rain).
It also explains why corruption takes the path of
least resistance, just like water.
Turning it over to a “veteran” judge in crook county tells you something already about how all this is going to play out. As for O’Brien, she has my vote.
How did Martin become a Judge?
Talk about a "code of silence", these Cook County Judges are something else. Sad to see the tough crime fighter Judge Luckman finally retire though. lol
Sounds like she could be a formidable 2020 Cook States Atty candidate that could bring back some integrity to the office and at least the city.
Teabag Evans and Martin Jr up on the ballot in 2020?
Never too early to jump in...or out.
The corruption in Chicago goes so deep and so far that they’d need to send this case to Alaska to get a judge The Machine doesn’t influence. Judge Martin, by NOT recusing himself - and hand-picking the judge to take the case - has essentially admitted that HE is “in the bag” for Foxx (and whoever controls her) and so is the judge he wanted to send the case to.
It’s all about “Chicago values”...
To 12:37AM: LeRoy Martin was a figurehead. First Deputy Jack Townsend ran the department back then.
We’re helpless in this place. Nothing is honest and legit. Politicians and corruption have poisoned everything.
This retired judge is awesome- Smart enough to know the questions that should be asked!!!
Now, lets see what happens to Proco Joe for filing a false police report. Maybe "Empire" will hire him for next season
When is it going to implode??
More questions than answers, where have I herd that before? Seem to sum up the city politics.
From theexpiredmeter.com
PRISON FOR PROCO: Outgoing Crooked Ald. Proco 'Joe' Moreno Charged With Auto Insurance Fraud, Obstruction Of Justice, Filing False Police Report - Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, CWB Chicago, Chicago Tonight, WBBM AM 780 New Radio Chicago, Block Club Chicago -- He Should Also Be In Jail For Extortion As Well, After He Tried To Shake Down The Landlord Of The Double Door Venue -- Will He Get The Jussie Smollett Deal From Crooked Corrupt Fake Prosecutor Kim Foxx; Irony Note: An Alderman Involved In Auto Insurance Fraud Was In Charge Of The City's Car Share Program -- One That Failed Due To Hundreds Of REAL AUTO THEFTS -- OUR EDITORIAL VIEW OF THE WHOLE MORENO MESS: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
From theexpiredmeter.com
'FOXX FIXX' -- Crooked Corrupt Fake Prosecutor Kim Foxx Is On The Spot Again, In Another Case Involving A False Police Report, But No Jussie Smollett Insider Deal - Chicago Sun-Times
Hope Shelia doesn't accept any back doors style payoffs and keeps up the heat on the criminal cabal of crimes ha and crew. Al Capone was a poker compared to this corrupt gang of criminals.
While a non-recusal "recusal" by Judge Martin doesn't do much to instill confidence in the integrity of the proceedings, especially in this particular case, Judge Toomin is an experienced and respected jurist with the utmost integrity. While the selection of a judge from another county might be preferable for optics, we might stand a better chance of actually learning the truth behind what happened in the Smollet case with a judge like Judge Toomin who is wise in the ways of Cook County courts and politics, rather than someone from a rural county who would have no idea how things work (and don't work) here.
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