Karmeier Calls Retention Challenge ‘Smear Campaign Of The Worst Sort’ In Presenting IJA Award To Wexstten
From the Madison County Record
In presenting an award to a recently-retired judge on Friday, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier briefly talked about the “last minute ambush” on his November retention election.
Karmeier narrowly survived a $2 million campaign against his bid for a second term behind the high court bench that he said came from “a handful of lawyers from Chicago and from some other states who stood to profit financially by reshaping the makeup of the court.”
The challenge marked the second time in “three retention cycles members of our Supreme Court have faced well financed and well-orchestrated opposition to retention,” First District Appellate Court Justice and Illinois Judges Association President Michael B. Hyman said before introducing Karmeier.
The IJA hosted a luncheon Friday in Chicago that included a keynote speech from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The event, which fell during the IJA and Illinois State Bar Association’s midyear meeting, also included the presentation of IJA awards to retired judges James Wexstten and Sheila Murphy.
Talking about the challenge to his retention, Karmeier said “it was a smear campaign of the worst sort and a direct challenge to the integrity and independence of the courts. And it was something that Jim Wexstten simply could not abide.”
Despite coming from different political parties, Karmeier said Wexstten, a Democrat who retired from the downstate appellate court in January, “did not hesitate to speak out publicly against what was happening. While others fled for cover, Jim stood firm in the defense of truth.”
“It was truly heroic and it helped carry the day for me,” the recently-retained justice said, before presenting Wexstten with IJA’s “Distinguished Service Award.”
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Madison County Record
In presenting an award to a recently-retired judge on Friday, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier briefly talked about the “last minute ambush” on his November retention election.
Karmeier narrowly survived a $2 million campaign against his bid for a second term behind the high court bench that he said came from “a handful of lawyers from Chicago and from some other states who stood to profit financially by reshaping the makeup of the court.”
The challenge marked the second time in “three retention cycles members of our Supreme Court have faced well financed and well-orchestrated opposition to retention,” First District Appellate Court Justice and Illinois Judges Association President Michael B. Hyman said before introducing Karmeier.
The IJA hosted a luncheon Friday in Chicago that included a keynote speech from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The event, which fell during the IJA and Illinois State Bar Association’s midyear meeting, also included the presentation of IJA awards to retired judges James Wexstten and Sheila Murphy.
Talking about the challenge to his retention, Karmeier said “it was a smear campaign of the worst sort and a direct challenge to the integrity and independence of the courts. And it was something that Jim Wexstten simply could not abide.”
Despite coming from different political parties, Karmeier said Wexstten, a Democrat who retired from the downstate appellate court in January, “did not hesitate to speak out publicly against what was happening. While others fled for cover, Jim stood firm in the defense of truth.”
“It was truly heroic and it helped carry the day for me,” the recently-retained justice said, before presenting Wexstten with IJA’s “Distinguished Service Award.”
Read more in our daily News Update...