Judge Leaves Chicago Bar Association Over Peer’s Rating
From the Chicago Sun-Times
The 1st District Appellate Court’s longest-serving justice has ended his membership in The Chicago Bar Association, citing frustration with how the bar group handled a negative rating of a Cook County judge in this month’s election.
Justice Thomas E. Hoffman, in a letter sent to the CBA on Wednesday, took issue with the CBA Judicial Evaluation Committee’s recommendation to vote against retaining Circuit Judge Thomas E. Flanagan of the Law Division.
Among 73 candidates for judicial retention on the ballot - Hoffman himself included - the CBA only advised voters to vote “no” for Flanagan.
The committee noted that Flanagan, 78, “has had a distinguished judicial career and enjoys a fine reputation for his integrity.”
“However, lawyers who have appeared before Judge Flanagan have expressed concerns about the judge’s ability to make decisions in a timely manner on motions and complex issues and to efficiently and effectively manage a trial call.”
According to unofficial Chicago and Cook County election results as of today, Flanagan won retention by clearing the 60 percent threshold with a 75.05 percent “yes” vote. No retention candidate in Cook County has lost since 1990.
Hoffman was appointed a Cook County associate judge in 1984, the same year Flanagan was elected to the bench as a circuit judge.
“Although I disagree with the committee’s assessment, that alone would not cause me to resign my membership,” Hoffman wrote.
Hoffman took particular issue with the CBA’s advertisements on news and talk radio stations during peak commuting hours.
“That coming from an organization which, to my memory, spent very little of its funds in the past to encourage voters not to retain some judges that clearly shouldn’t have been retained and did very little by way of advertisements in this past election to encourage voters to retain the judges that it found recommended for retention,” Hoffman wrote.
“I am at a loss to understand why the CBA chose to spend its money targeting Judge Flanagan; but, if it repeats this type of misguided priority for the spending [of] its money in the future, it will do so without my dues.”
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Sun-Times
The 1st District Appellate Court’s longest-serving justice has ended his membership in The Chicago Bar Association, citing frustration with how the bar group handled a negative rating of a Cook County judge in this month’s election.
Justice Thomas E. Hoffman, in a letter sent to the CBA on Wednesday, took issue with the CBA Judicial Evaluation Committee’s recommendation to vote against retaining Circuit Judge Thomas E. Flanagan of the Law Division.
Among 73 candidates for judicial retention on the ballot - Hoffman himself included - the CBA only advised voters to vote “no” for Flanagan.
The committee noted that Flanagan, 78, “has had a distinguished judicial career and enjoys a fine reputation for his integrity.”
“However, lawyers who have appeared before Judge Flanagan have expressed concerns about the judge’s ability to make decisions in a timely manner on motions and complex issues and to efficiently and effectively manage a trial call.”
According to unofficial Chicago and Cook County election results as of today, Flanagan won retention by clearing the 60 percent threshold with a 75.05 percent “yes” vote. No retention candidate in Cook County has lost since 1990.
Hoffman was appointed a Cook County associate judge in 1984, the same year Flanagan was elected to the bench as a circuit judge.
“Although I disagree with the committee’s assessment, that alone would not cause me to resign my membership,” Hoffman wrote.
Hoffman took particular issue with the CBA’s advertisements on news and talk radio stations during peak commuting hours.
“That coming from an organization which, to my memory, spent very little of its funds in the past to encourage voters not to retain some judges that clearly shouldn’t have been retained and did very little by way of advertisements in this past election to encourage voters to retain the judges that it found recommended for retention,” Hoffman wrote.
“I am at a loss to understand why the CBA chose to spend its money targeting Judge Flanagan; but, if it repeats this type of misguided priority for the spending [of] its money in the future, it will do so without my dues.”
Read more in our daily News Update...