Judge removed from hearing cases due to alleged misconduct
Released On 08/17/2016
Pursuant to action taken
today by the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Judge
Valarie E. Turner has been temporarily reassigned to duties other than judicial
duties in the office of the Presiding Judge of the First Municipal District,
Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Jr. The assignment is effective until further notice.
The decision to reassign Judge Turner followed a meeting
of the Circuit Court of Cook County Executive Committee convened today by Chief
Judge Timothy C. Evans to discuss allegations of improper conduct involving
Judge Turner. The committee was informed that Judge Turner allegedly permitted attorney
Rhonda Crawford, a law clerk with the Office of the Chief Judge and candidate
for judicial election in November 2016, to adjudicate at least two cases from
the bench while wearing a judicial robe in Judge Turner’s courtroom.
Until
today, Judge Turner had been assigned to the Sixth Municipal District
Courthouse in Markham where she heard a variety of matters in rotation with
other judges.
“The public’s confidence in the judiciary is the
cornerstone of our system of justice, and I have taken the steps necessary to
preserve that confidence,” said Chief Judge Evans. “Because the investigation
is pending, I believe it is inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
In addition, Crawford was suspended pending internal
investigation without pay by the Office of the Chief Judge. Her current annual salary
is $56,961, and she has been employed as a law clerk/staff attorney with the
office since 2011.
The members of the Executive Committee who participated
in the meeting are as follows:
Honorable Timothy C. Evans, Chief Judge and Committee
Chair
Honorable
Patricia Banks, Presiding Judge, Elder Law and Miscellaneous Remedies Division
Honorable
LeRoy K. Martin, Jr., Presiding Judge, Criminal Division
Honorable
Mary Ellen Coghlan, Presiding Judge, Probate Division
Honorable
Grace G. Dickler, Presiding Judge, Domestic Relations Division
Honorable
Sophia H. Hall, Presiding Judge, Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Resource
Section
Honorable
Moshe Jacobius, Presiding Judge, Chancery Division
Honorable
James P. Flannery, Jr., Presiding Judge, Law Division
Honorable
Patricia M. Martin, Presiding Judge, Child Protection Division
Honorable
Sebastian T. Patti, Presiding Judge, Domestic Violence Division
Honorable
Sharon M. Sullivan, Presiding Judge, County Division
Honorable
Michael P. Toomin, Presiding Judge, Juvenile Justice Division
Honorable
E. Kenneth Wright, Jr., Presiding Judge, First Municipal District
Honorable
Shelley Sutker-Dermer, Presiding Judge, Second Municipal District
Honorable
William O. Maki, Presiding Judge, Third Municipal District
Honorable
Cheyrl D. Ingram, Presiding Judge, Fourth Municipal District
Honorable
Raymond L. Jagielski, Presiding Judge, Fifth Municipal District
Honorable
Marjorie C. Laws, Presiding Judge, Sixth Municipal District
A
judge may be temporarily reassigned to restricted or other than judicial duties
whenever there are charges or implications of improper conduct, depending on
the severity and nature, under Illinois
Supreme Court Rule 56. Temporary
Assignment to Other Duties.
Attached
is Special Order 2016-42 addressing the subject matter of Judge Turner’s
reassignment.
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