Steve Mills

Exterior of the Markham Courthouse on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016.

Cook County judge who let clerk hear cases is deemed ‘mentally unable’ to do job

May 23, 2019 at 4:02 a.m.

The Cook County judge who let a law clerk wear her robe and hear traffic cases this summer was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and can no longer perform her...

Harold Richardson, from left, Vincent Thames, Terrill Swift and Michael Saunders were convicted of a 1994 rape and murder but later were cleared.

Prosecutor admitted in FBI report that Englewood Four teens coerced into false confessions

June 9, 2018 at 6:13 a.m.

For years, four Chicago men have maintained that misconduct by police and prosecutors led to their wrongful convictions for a 1994 rape and murder. They did so at trial and...

Marilyn Hall submits her ballot at O'Keeffe Elementary School on Nov. 8, 2016, in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago.

Law clerk in ‘fake’ judge case wins real judge election

May 23, 2019 at 3:56 a.m.

In yet another embarrassment for the Cook County judiciary, a law clerk accused of posing as a judge was elected to the bench Tuesday, even though she is under indictment,...

Rhonda Crawford, left, the fired law clerk accused of posing as a judge, speaks out Sept. 22, 2016, at a news conference in Chicago. At right is attorney Victor P. Henderson.

State high court bars candidate accused of posing as judge from taking bench

May 23, 2019 at 3:55 a.m.

The Illinois Supreme Court on Monday barred a judicial hopeful accused of posing as a judge and hearing traffic cases from taking the bench, creating the awkward but likely scenario...

Law clerk Rhonda Crawford, center, after her bond court hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Oct. 21, 2016, in Chicago.

Judicial candidate vows not to take office until fake judge case clears

May 23, 2019 at 3:52 a.m.

The judicial candidate under indictment for allegedly impersonating a Cook County judge promised the Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday that she would not take the bench until her disciplinary case...

Rhonda Crawford, the law clerk accused of posing as a judge, accompanied her attorney Victor P. Henderson at a news conference in Chicago on Sept. 22, 2016.

Law clerk indicted in judge impersonation case, attorney says

May 23, 2019 at 3:48 a.m.

The lawyer who allegedly posed as a judge has been indicted on criminal charges, the latest fallout from the scandal that began when the judicial hopeful from the South Side...

Judge says cop’s testimony doesn’t pass smell test

May 23, 2019 at 3:47 a.m.

The gun charge against Stephon Mack hinged on the testimony of Chicago police Officer Damen Balesteri. If a Cook County judge found the longtime officer a credible witness, Mack was...

State seeks to bar lawyer who allegedly posed as judge from running for bench

May 23, 2019 at 3:46 a.m.

In a stinging rebuke, the state commission that oversees lawyers has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to immediately suspend the law license of a judicial candidate who it said posed...

Fired law clerk says judge urged her to take bench in ‘shadowing’ process

May 23, 2019 at 3:37 a.m.

The law clerk accused of posing as a Cook County judge spoke publicly about the episode for the first time Thursday, saying that a judge in the courthouse urged her...

Timothy Evans withstands challenge to win sixth term as chief judge

May 23, 2019 at 3:33 a.m.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans, a political fixture in Chicago for decades, on Thursday survived his toughest challenge in 15 years, holding off former Ald. Tom Allen amid widespread...

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