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Wisconsin lawmakers should not attack judiciary

May 13, 2013
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Matthew Menendez and Andrea Kaminski

Lawmakers in Madison are considering a bill that threatens to weaken the important role of the judiciary in protecting the public from unconstitutional acts by the government. The bill — 2013 Assembly Bill 161 — was approved May 8 on a party-line vote by the Government Operations Committee. It would limit the ability of trial judges to block unconstitutional state laws, putting citizens at risk of irreparable harm from constitutional violations.

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Two proposed amendments could give voters a fighting chance (Editorial)

February 24, 2013
Chicago Tribune

You haven't heard the last of Cook County Circuit Judge Cynthia Brim, who was ejected from her courtroom during a bizarre rant, got arrested for throwing a set of keys at a deputy sheriff and was acquitted of misdemeanor battery after pleading insanity.

She's still not allowed in the courthouse without an escort, but she hopes to return to the bench soon, and why not? In November — eight months after her arrest — voters awarded her another six-year term.

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Legal battles hidden from public view

February 24, 2013
Chicago Tribune

Cook County cases involving a judge, the Wrigley family and former Bull Scottie Pippen were all sealed

By Cynthia Dizikes and Todd Lighty, Chicago Tribune reporters

A Northwestern University student filed a lawsuit against the school in 2008, alleging top administrators failed to discipline a student who raped her.

But what happened in the case is a secret.

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Judge pulls fast one (Editorial)

February 19, 2013
Chicago Sun-Times

The last person who should pull a fast one is a judge, even if it may be legal.

As Tim Novak and Chris Fusco reported in the Sun-Times on Monday, McHenry County Judge Maureen P. McIntyre divorced her husband in 2006 in a deal that gave her most of the assets, including their house, while many of her husband’s creditors were left out in the cold.

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Judge who shoved deputy found not guilty by reason of insanity

February 4, 2013
Chicago Tribune

By Steve Schmadeke Tribune reporter

Cook County Judge Cynthia Brim, on trial for shoving a sheriff's deputy at the Daley Center last year, has been found not guilty of battery by reason of insanity.

The verdict was handed down this afternoon by DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan.

Brim will now have to report to the state Department of Health for an evaluation of her mental health and treatment. She is due back in court in March.

She remains free on bond, and her lawyer said she wants to return to the bench.

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New judge in trial of Daley's nephew: No conflict of interest here

January 18, 2013
Chicago Tribune

A McHenry County judge appointed to preside over the trial of a nephew of former Mayor Richard Daley held court today for the first time in the controversial case.

Judge Maureen P. McIntyre was appointed over the case of Richard Vanecko after the original Cook County judge assigned to the matter stepped aside because of connections to Daley.

Vanecko has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with the death of David Koschman in 2004.

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Any judge in Vanecko case should be judged — and 'scrubbed'

January 6, 2013
Chicago Tribune

Fair is fair in an incident larded with clout and politics

John Kass

Within seconds of McHenry County Judge Maureen McIntyre being appointed to preside over Illinois' political heater manslaughter case on Friday, you could almost hear her being "scrubbed."

It's not about cleansing bubbles. Not in Illinois.

"Scrubbing" is a reporter's term, for checking the background, finding the friends and friends of friends, who they owe and who they know. It's about figuring out if the person being scrubbed is somebody somebody sent.

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Defeated judges find way back to bench

December 23, 2012
Chicago Tribune

By Jeff Coen and Todd Lighty, Chicago Tribune reporters

The Illinois Supreme Court in the past year kept seven politically connected judges on the Cook County bench after they were rejected by voters, a common practice the high court had pledged to curtail.

One had given more than $20,000 to the Cook County Democratic Party. Two had connections to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Others have ties to powerful Chicago Democrats who decide who gets the party's support to be judge.

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Bad reviews, shaky mental health not expected to keep judge off bench

Ocotber 13, 2012
The Sun-Times

BY LISA DONOVAN Cook County Reporter October 13, 2012 12:41AM

Updated: October 14, 2012 2:46AM 

If history is any indication, a Cook County judge on indefinite suspension and deemed “legally insane” earlier this year will likely be re-elected next month.

Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Brim still collects her regular paycheck — $181,929 annually — seven months after her courthouse tussle with a sheriff’s deputy and her suspension from the bench for erratic behavior.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/15692142-418/bad-reviews-shaky-mental... target="_blank">Read More...



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Competing Bus Tours Over Iowa Supreme Court Justice

September 25, 2012
KWQC Channel 6

Updated: Sep 25, 2012 2:41 PM CDT
By Marcia Lense 

It's something that's often ignored on the ballot, but not this year. Two groups are campaigning across Iowa, setting up battle lines over the retention of an Iowa Supreme Court judge.

"In 2010, they laughed at us and said, 'you can't vote out three judges,'" announced Bob Vander Plaats. The former Iowa gubernatorial candidate heads the group, Iowans for Freedom, which is fighting to boot out another high court judge, David Wiggins

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