Observers See Changes With Next U.S. Attorney
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
The lanky, soft-spoken lawman from New York arrived in Chicago with a mandate to clean up corruption-plagued Illinois. And after a decade on the job, Patrick J. Fitzgerald had helped put two successive governors and a long procession of other public officials behind bars.
Months after the consummate outsider resigned as head of the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago to enter private practice, the White House is expected to name Fitzgerald's replacement soon from among four finalists — all of whom are comparative Chicago insiders.
Whoever is picked, the next U.S. attorney will step in to what is widely regarded as Chicago's second-most powerful job, next only to the mayor. The chief prosecutor and around 170 assistant attorneys also have an impact beyond Chicago and Illinois, including by handling major terrorism cases.
"The fantastic thing about Fitzgerald was that he maintained his independence," said Kathleen T. Zellner, a Chicago-based defense attorney. "I'm not saying these candidates won't be independent, but it's hard to decide to prosecute when you have (such close) connections to a town."
The list of four finalists — Lori E. Lightfoot, Zachary T. Fardon, Jonathan C. Bunge and Gil M. Soffer — was recently forwarded to the Obama administration by Illinois' two U.S. senators, who set up a screening committee to vet a longer list of prospective candidates over several months. All four know their way around the federal prosecutor's office in Chicago — one of the nation's busiest — each having worked there as assistant attorneys at some point. Fardon, for instance, was a member of Fitzgerald's trial team that convicted former Illinois Gov. George Ryan on corruption charges in 2006.
At the time of his surprise pick in 2001, Fitzgerald was co-chief of the organized crime and terrorism unit for the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York. The thinking was that he'd be more willing to go after Illinois politicians because he had no ties to them.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
The lanky, soft-spoken lawman from New York arrived in Chicago with a mandate to clean up corruption-plagued Illinois. And after a decade on the job, Patrick J. Fitzgerald had helped put two successive governors and a long procession of other public officials behind bars.
Months after the consummate outsider resigned as head of the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago to enter private practice, the White House is expected to name Fitzgerald's replacement soon from among four finalists — all of whom are comparative Chicago insiders.
Whoever is picked, the next U.S. attorney will step in to what is widely regarded as Chicago's second-most powerful job, next only to the mayor. The chief prosecutor and around 170 assistant attorneys also have an impact beyond Chicago and Illinois, including by handling major terrorism cases.
"The fantastic thing about Fitzgerald was that he maintained his independence," said Kathleen T. Zellner, a Chicago-based defense attorney. "I'm not saying these candidates won't be independent, but it's hard to decide to prosecute when you have (such close) connections to a town."
The list of four finalists — Lori E. Lightfoot, Zachary T. Fardon, Jonathan C. Bunge and Gil M. Soffer — was recently forwarded to the Obama administration by Illinois' two U.S. senators, who set up a screening committee to vet a longer list of prospective candidates over several months. All four know their way around the federal prosecutor's office in Chicago — one of the nation's busiest — each having worked there as assistant attorneys at some point. Fardon, for instance, was a member of Fitzgerald's trial team that convicted former Illinois Gov. George Ryan on corruption charges in 2006.
At the time of his surprise pick in 2001, Fitzgerald was co-chief of the organized crime and terrorism unit for the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York. The thinking was that he'd be more willing to go after Illinois politicians because he had no ties to them.
Read more in our daily News Update...