Unretained and Failed Judge Back on Bench
- The Illinois Supreme Court has reappointed former Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Gerber even though voters rejected his re-election bid in November and the courts have twice found he committed ethical lapses as a prosecutor that led to wrongful convictions.
An appeals court found last year that in a case in which “the evidence convincingly shows” the defendant was innocent, Gerber won a murder conviction by shifting jurors’ attention away from the lack of evidence and playing on their trust in the police.
In the other case, a Cook County judge overturned an arson and murder conviction, finding that Gerber and his co-counsel won a wrongful conviction at retrial by introducing a false statement that contradicted evidence at the man’s first trial, which Gerber also prosecuted.
Gerber, 72, is back on the bench, though, effective Tuesday. He was appointed to fill a vacancy left by the retirement of Cook County Circuit Judge Margarita Kulys Hoffman. His reappointment to the seat in a far northwest suburban subcircuit was recommended by a committee formed by Justice Anne Burke and headed by attorney Kevin Forde.
Gee. Anne Burke. Who would have thought that?
Labels: corruption
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
38 Comments:
Why aren’t people calling for her resignation too? She has to know what her hubby was about for the last five decades.
Judges have clout too. Ju$tice for those few
I know him. He once said "hello" to me so he is good in my book.
Surprised no one has yet to uncover dirt on Anne Burkes rise to the Supreme court. Must have all been legit. Hey Eddie, you must be going thru a lot of Depends these days. Bet there are a lot of shit stains at city hall right now. The clock is ticking. Its hammer time. He maybe you can pull a Joe Valachi on the whole damn state.
Unbelievable, the people spoke and voted him out and he gets reappointed. I so hate this County and State.
Gee-the relevant rule says you cannot be reappointed to the bench after being defeated in an election to the Circuit Court! This would clearly violate that rule. Wonder how much Gerber paid to Burke for that spot! Must have been a lot more than the usual $50,000! Guess as Ed’s business dries up ANNE has to make a little more! What brazen crooks!
Will Illinois Supreme Court Judge Anne Burke call a recess this morning in her court so she can run out in her robes to attend the arraignment of her husband Alderman Ed Burke. Now that is a sight to see!! Do you think she knows what he was doing all these years?
Once again, The Chicago Democrat Machine spits in the faces of Chicago Voters.
What do the citizens need to do to keep these hacks off the bench? Drive a stake through their hearts like a vampire? They keep rising from the grave.
http://www.fox9.com/news/duluth-pd-seizes-350k-worth-of-heroin-largest-in-department-s-history
Another judge that will let the disadvantaged the ability to expand their small business enterprises.
I had no idea that ankle monitors transmitted that far away ! Read the last line of the story and repeat after me....WTAF !
72? Retire already, I'm sure there's a nice pension for those judges. Accountability for thee, not for me.
The only people crying are the Innocent Project assholes....the Judge doesn't play along with them.
Gerber is one of the few good ones and a major fan of the police, chill out. If this county was legit none of us would be here.
And people still think that voting matters...not in Chicago/Cook County/Illinois
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Unbelievable, the people spoke and voted him out and he gets reappointed. I so hate this County and State.
6/04/2019 01:47:00 AM
It happens more than you realize. Happened with Judge Snowball Miller too.
Maybe they will put him where he can do no harm. Not likely.
Now, kees me you fool!!!!
Well Mr. Gerber donated $2000.00 to Edward M. Burke in 2018.
Very disappointing post, SCC. Your reflexive distrust of judges and lawyers has at least temporarily overcome your usually keen critical reading skills.
Didn't you notice the buzzword -- "wrongful convictions" -- in the Sun-Times story?
I don't know Mike Gerber from Adam. He must be tight with the Burkes, or at least Anne Burke, because she appointed him to the bench twice now. But he also was a career prosecutor, putting criminals away for 32 years, back when the State's Attorney's Office did that sort of thing.
And when he ran for election, after the first appointment, in the 2018 primary -- as a Republican -- in the far northwest suburban 13th Subcircuit -- he was rated Highly Qualified by the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. The historically liberal Chicago Council of Lawyers said that it would have conferred a Well Qualified rating on Gerber but for a couple of incidents of prosecutorial overreach identified by a couple of appellate courts. It still rated him Qualified upon consideration of "the totality" of his "well-respected career." The Tribune endorsed him.
I don't know if Gerber is objectively a good judge or a bad judge, or if he was objectively a good ASA or a bad ASA, but the Sun-Times story -- which was really just a reprint of a post from Injustice Watch -- was an unfair smear. And you were less than fair to cite it uncritically.
And your readers... the Supreme Court years ago agreed not to recall any judge who lost a retention election. Judge Coghlan will never be recalled to the bench. But, after flip-flopping on the issue a bit, the Supreme Court recognized that it should not permanently disqualify a person from judicial service just because that person could not survive a partisan political primary. It has on several occasions now appointed judges who lost contested primaries to new vacancies (which is different than recalling them).
And Anne Burke was in a no-win situation. It was her appointment to make (each of the three Cook County justices take turns filling vacancies). She's apparently decided to try and keep up appearances as best she can even as her husband starts down the road to Oxford (if he's lucky). But whoever she appointed was going to go in under a cloud. So she reappointed someone who'd gotten pretty much glowing reviews except from the "wrongful conviction" crowd, which says something right there. Maybe he's an old friend, too. I wouldn't know. But Gerber is not just a rogue prosecutor.
SCC, you're usually fair. You have a point of view, just as Injustice Watch has a point of view (very different points of view, but whatever). In this case, you fell short.
Why aren’t people calling for her resignation too? She has to know what her hubby was about for the last five decades.
BEACUSE.....The mainstream Demorat Media doesn't publish stories like this
Just goes to show the corruption in the most corrupt city,state,county in the entire country, our corruption makes third world countries blush! The feds are placating Lori just going after Burke, lori said when she was running multiple elected indictments soon,but it seems they are only concentrating on old man burke why?
Need to wonder why the systems sucks in Cook County??? Need a road map?
Gerber, like the baby food. SOFT!
Clean up the courts. The public wants to reform and clean up CPD 60 X over. Time to clean up the courts
This guy was on our side when he was an ASA.
Annie, Annie, Annie, do the right thing and step down.
Stay home and help hubby put together a list of those that he knows that were equally dirty, i.e. fellow aldermen, Daley, Madigan et al.
Perhaps if Eddie does a "tell all" it will help the government in their quest to drain the swamp.
Afterwards he can write a tell all book, like Cooley the criminal.
How did he get voted out in the first place? What 51% of the voters have to say "no?"
Merit pick judges. Just like Cpd.
Do the people, you know "We the people!", ever get a break??? The democ"RATS" keep ramming shit down our throats.....but we deserve it because time and time again we keep buying their bullshit and electing their vomit to office!!!
An appeals court found last year that in a case in which “the evidence convincingly shows” the defendant was innocent, Gerber won a murder conviction by shifting jurors’ attention away from the lack of evidence and playing on their trust in the police.
“Lack of evidence” doesn’t mean the person being prosecuted is completely innocent. It seems as if this prosecutor trusted the police’s investigation enough to continue with this case. No where does it say he lied to jurors. He “shifted jurors’ attention” which is what a good attorney does. Anyhow, it would be nice if we still had prosecutors like Him, unlike the current prosecutors under Kim Fox, who do not trust anything the police say!
it's truly over...leave right now
if not possible...CCW
Another Burke heard from. Who would have thought. Follow the money trail MSM. Was Gerber a contributor to her or her husband's Campaigns? Where there is smoke there is fire. There no con coincidence is Chicago Politics just money changing hands.
Fuck Ed Burke crooked bastard! Imagine Burkes supporters kissing his wife ass at the country club, "Hi Anne, other than that ltllte federal thing with Ed, How are you doing?" She should resign NOW!!
Just when you thought the city was Burke safe, this!
Impeach Anne Burke! She is every bit as dirty as her thieving husband!
Gerber was defeated at the polls so Burke goes around the voters to make him a judge!
And we wonder why there is no justice in our courts!
Anonymous Anonymous said...
72? Retire already, I'm sure there's a nice pension for those judges. Accountability for thee, not for me.
6/04/2019 06:16:00 AM
How old is Ms. Burke? In her 70’s? She was just reappointed, reelected to the state Supreme Court, for another 10 year term!!!!
At what age does senility start? About time to give it up to a younger, maybe 60 year old? What egos these special people have. ;)
Check out "Forde" in various City agencies - Port of Chicago, Public Building Commission, previously in 2FM....
Gerber was in gang prosecution years ago and did a great job of prosecuting gang bangers. He has always been a friend of the police as an ASA and as a judge. So, he was not elected,better him on the bench than some racist goof who hates the police.Try learning about the judge before you bad mouth him. There's plenty of coppers who are clouted up and are totally worthless. At least Mike's on our side.
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