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Chicago City Wire

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

W.J. Kennedy News

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Internal charges filed against Chicago FOP president John Catanzara amid union turmoil

By W.J. Kennedy | Sep 12, 2025

John Catanzara, president of Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 7, is facing charges filed by a union board member related to financial management and union governance.

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Federal judge allows deposition of key witness in Jose Cruz wrongful conviction case

By W.J. Kennedy | Sep 8, 2025

U.S. District Judge Gabriel Fuentes has granted a motion by defense attorneys representing police officers to depose Luis “Danny” Rodriguez, a key witness in Jose Cruz’s wrongful conviction lawsuit.

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Former Chicago FOP leaders urge state’s attorney to recharge gang members in officer’s 2011 murder

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 25, 2025

Two former Fraternal Order of Police leaders have reached out to Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling, urging State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke to recharge three Latin Cobra gang members in the 2011 murder of police officer Clifton Lewis.

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Illinois Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse opposes Pritzker’s new expanded civil lawsuit legislation

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 25, 2025

Lawsuit reform advocates with Illinois Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse are voicing opposition after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation allowing trial lawyers nationwide to file lawsuits in Illinois courts, even when the alleged injury occurred outside the state and defendants have no local presence.

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Former FOP spokesman Preib says wrongful conviction settlements add millions to Chicago’s pension strain

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 25, 2025

Martin Preib, the former spokesman for the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, says multimillion-dollar wrongful conviction settlements approved by city officials are adding financial strain to an already underfunded police pension system, according to a recent column.

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Fraternal Order of Police to appeal ruling that arbitration for 'egregious misconduct' must be public

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 15, 2025

An attorney representing the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) said the organization plans to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court after a three-judge appellate panel upheld a ruling requiring public access to arbitration hearings involving serious police misconduct.

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Dante Brown, convicted double murderer whose sentence was reduced, accused of shooting security guard

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 15, 2025

Less than a year after Cook County Judge Michael McHale reduced Dante Brown’s life sentence for a double murder to 20 years — the time he had already served — Brown is back in custody, accused of shooting a security guard during an attempted robbery.

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Cook County state’s attorney challenges certificate of innocence in 23-year-old murder case

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 12, 2025

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke is challenging a petition for a Certificate of Innocence (COI) filed by Kevin Jackson, who was convicted of a 2001 murder and later exonerated under former State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

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Chicago police oversight commission advancing traffic stop restrictions despite public opposition

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 12, 2025

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) is advancing proposals to restrict certain traffic stops by Chicago police despite an internal survey showing most residents oppose the changes.

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Illinois Policy Institute report: Chicago homicides hit 10-year low, but arrest rate falls to 27%

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 11, 2025

A newly released analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) shows that the number of homicides in Chicago over the past year is lower than at any time in the past decade. At the same time, arrest rates related to homicides have fallen from 42 percent to 27 percent over the past decade.

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National Immigrant Justice Center ranks seventh on Capital Research Center’s list of ‘most ridiculous’ nonprofits

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 11, 2025

The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), a Chicago-based nonprofit providing free legal services to immigrants, has been ranked seventh on the Capital Research Center’s (CRC) list of the country’s top ten “most ridiculous” nonprofits.

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Activist group Chicago Alliance paving the way for plaintiff lawyers to launch volley of wrongful conviction lawsuits

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 4, 2025

The activist group Chicago Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (CAARPR) is organizing a rally on Wednesday, August 6, outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, where attorneys will attend a status hearing on a petition for a Certificate of Innocence filed by a man convicted of a 2001 murder.

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Tactics by lawyers representing Arnold Day in wrongful conviction lawsuit highlighted in motion

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 1, 2025

Attorneys for the defendant police officers in Arnold Day’s federal wrongful conviction case accused Day’s legal team at Loevy & Loevy of violating a standing court order related to summary judgment filings—an issue they claim the firm has been previously warned about in other cases.

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Brother of DUI victim killed by illegal immigrant: Cook County sanctuary policies ‘let him make bail’

By W.J. Kennedy | Jul 31, 2025

Chicago resident Brian McCann is speaking out more than a decade after his brother was killed by a man living in the country illegally, saying Cook County’s sanctuary policies allowed the suspect to flee before trial and contributed to delays in justice.

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Key witness in Henderson murder case ordered to appear after missing depositions in wrongful conviction suit

By W.J. Kennedy | Jul 25, 2025

A federal judge has ordered Kenneth McGraw, a key witness in the 1994 murder investigation of 10-year-old Rodney Collins, to appear in court after failing to show up for two depositions in a wrongful conviction lawsuit involving Reginald Henderson.

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Former Chicago FOP officials push to recharge 3 gang members in off-duty officer’s killing

By W.J. Kennedy | Jul 24, 2025

Former leaders of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) are urging federal prosecutors and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill-Burke to bring charges against three members of the Spanish Cobras street gang in the 2011 murder of Officer Clifton Lewis.

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AVIAC president on states’ lawsuit challenging Trump immigration policies: Illegal immigrants ‘costing states billions’

By W.J. Kennedy | Jul 24, 2025

Don Rosenberg, president of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime (AVIAC), objected to a lawsuit filed by Illinois and 20 other states aimed at blocking Trump administration rules that limit federal education and health care funding based on immigration status.

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Twice convicted cop killer, Jackie Wilson, receives second multi-million-dollar lawsuit settlement

By W.J. Kennedy | Jul 22, 2025

Jackie Wilson, convicted twice for his role in the 1982 murders of two Chicago police officers, is on his way to receiving a $12.7 million settlement from the city of Chicago stemming from his wrongful conviction lawsuit filed in federal court in June 2021. Council approved the payout on Wednesday, after its Finance Committee on Monday recommended the payment.

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Man exonerated in 1994 double murder receives $17 million city settlement

By W.J. Kennedy | Jul 18, 2025

​​The Chicago City Council has approved $35.2 million in police-related legal settlements, including $17 million for Roberto Almodovar, who was convicted of a 1994 double homicide and later exonerated after more than two decades in prison.

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Chicago oversight commission seeks to limit police traffic stops

By W.J. Kennedy | Jul 18, 2025

A civilian oversight commission is proposing to restrict when Chicago police officers can conduct traffic stops, potentially ending enforcement of several minor vehicle code violations.