Two Chicagoans Chosen for Board of National Group Defending Fair and Impartial
Courts
WASHINGTON, DC – Cindi Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign
for Political Reform (ICPR), and Cook County Judge Sandra Otaka have been appointed
to serve on the board of directors of the Justice at Stake Campaign, a national
nonpartisan organization dedicated to safeguarding fair, impartial and independent
courts.
“Both Cindi Canary and Judge Sandra Otaka bring strong personal and professional
track records of standing up for the public’s right to fair and impartial
courts,” said Roger Warren, Chairman of Justice at Stake’s board of
directors.
Canary heads the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR), a nonpartisan
educational project working to build a broad based coalition to address
the impact of money on Illinois politics and government. ICPR addresses issues
related to ethics, voter participation and government accountability. Prior
to becoming director of ICPR, Canary was Executive Director of the League of Women
Voters of Illinois and a staff member of the American Bar Association. At
the inaugural meeting of the Justice at Stake board, Canary was elected to serve
as Secretary.
Judge Otaka is the first Asian Pacific American appointed to the bench by the
Illinois Supreme Court. She served on the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, which
has the responsibility of receiving and investigating complaints made against
judges serving in the courts of Illinois, from 1992-1999, including two years
as Chair. In November 2002, Judge Otaka became the first judge of Asian
Pacific American decent elected to the bench in Cook County, Illinois. In 2003,
Judge Otaka testified before the Coalition of Bar Associations of Color (CBAC)
on the political barriers Asian Americans face in reaching the bench. Judge
Otaka is one of three sitting judges on the Justice at Stake board. The
other two are Chief Justice Thomas Moyer of Ohio and Judge James Wynn of the North
Carolina Court of Appeals.
Justice at Stake and its 40 partner organizations educate the public and work
for reforms to keep politics and special interests out of the court room, so judges
can do their job protecting our Constitution, our rights and the rule of law.
Campaign partners from Illinois include the ICPR, Citizen Action Illinois, Protestants
for the Common Good and the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice.
A complete list of Justice at Stake’s board of directors is available online
at justiceatstake.org.