W.J. Kennedy Stories | Chicago City Wire

Judge knocks Foxx's new post-conviction head off case over business that presents 'disturbing appearance of impropriety'

By W.J. Kennedy | Jan 12, 2024

A Cook County judge shredded the new head of Kim Foxx’s post-conviction unit over a side business she runs that connects inmates, claiming innocence, with defense attorneys.

Post-conviction process in Cook County has Illinois leading the nation in exonerations

By W.J. Kennedy | Jan 10, 2024

Over the past 25 years Illinois has racked up the highest number of exonerations in the nation with Cook County pulling the state to the top of the list

Former prosecutors refute Reginald Henderson complaint in wrongful conviction lawsuit stemming from murder of 10-year-old

By W.J. Kennedy | Jan 5, 2024

Two former assistant Cook County state’s attorneys named in a wrongful conviction lawsuit filed by Reginald Henderson

Arbitration a near certainty for cops despite City Council shooting it down

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 15, 2023

Yesterday’s 33-17 vote by Chicago City Council to deny rank-and-file members of the Fraternal Order of Police the right to arbitration in more serious disciplinary matters

Council committee rejects police arbitration - but with law on cops’ side battle far from over

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 11, 2023

City Council’s Committee on Workforce Development on Thursday approved a four-year police contract that includes a pay increase,

Cops file grievances over 'capriciousness' of who gets voluntary overtime

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 8, 2023

A group of Chicago cops have filed grievances within the Department over what they say are “arbitrary, capricious and inconsistent rulings” that determine who benefits from Voluntary Supplemental Work Opportunity (VSWO).

'Sickening' conflict of interest for new head of Kim Foxx’s post-conviction unit

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 7, 2023

The newly installed head of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s (CCSAO) post-conviction section, which reviews claims of innocence by prison inmates, runs a side business that connects attorneys with the inmates making the claims.

Consolidate wrongful conviction cases of brothers convicted of murdering ten-year-old, police lawyers say

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 6, 2023

Lawyers for former Chicago police detectives named in two wrongful conviction suits surrounding the 1994 murder of a 10-year-old on the South Side have asked a federal judge to consolidate the cases.

Former FOP official praises special prosecutors challenging commission that targets cops with abuse claims

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 4, 2023

A former Chicago FOP official applauded two special prosecutors for taking on a 14-year-old commission that legitimatizes claims of police abuse

Policy banning Chicago cops from joining 'hate' groups open to First Amendment rights challenge: legal expert

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 30, 2023

A policy recently approved by a community oversight group that bans Chicago cops from joining “hate” and “extremist” groups is vulnerable to a First Amendment challenge in court.

Kim Foxx’s office strikes back against one of its former own

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 29, 2023

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) is appealing to a federal judge to expand its “scope of intervention” in a civil trial against former Assistant State’s Attorney Nick Trutenko,

Convicted cop killer Jackie Wilson’s wrongful conviction lawsuit dealt blow by ruling in criminal case against former prosecutor

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 20, 2023

A victory for former Cook County prosecutor Nick Trutenko in his criminal case surrounding the decades long legal saga of convicted cop-killer Jackie Wilson is spilling over to his civil cas

Torture commission ruling reveals legal vulnerability in pathway to wrongful conviction suits

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 17, 2023

For the past several years, the plaintiffs’ bar has relied on the Torture Inquiry & Relief Commission (TIRC) for a steady stream of wrongful conviction lawsuits stemming from claims that Chicago police coerced murder confessions

Hire more cops to not only increase public safety but boost morale among their numbers: experts

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 14, 2023

The city’s police complement is down 1,700 from 2019 when former Mayor Lori Lightfoot took office.

Judge blasts Kim Foxx’s office for threatening 'the very foundation for the practice of law'

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 10, 2023

A Lake County judge presiding over the criminal cases of two former Cook County assistant prosecutors, eviscerated special prosecutors representing the State’s Attorney’s Office, headed by Kim Foxx.

Little-known charitables are big players in third-party litigation targeting energy industry: analysis

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 9, 2023

Left-wing climate activists are quietly backing lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry to steer the country away from a dependence on affordable, reliable energy, a recent analysis by the watchdog group the Capital Research Center (CRC) shows.

Former detective fights off claims in wrongful conviction complaint - one that showcases the legal gymnastics behind the big payouts

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 7, 2023

Retired Chicago detective, Reynaldo Guevara, fended off accusations of police misconduct by plaintiff Arturo DeLeon-Reyes in an amended complaint involving 1998 murder of a husband and wife and the kidnapping of their children.

Fawning profile of exoneration lawyer typical of mainstream media coverage of the multi-million-dollar wrongful conviction industry

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 3, 2023

A recent WGN-TV profile of Josh Tepfer, a lawyer with the plantiffs’ firm of Loevy & Loevy, exemplifies mainstream media coverage of exoneration lawyers and their clients who blame their convictions on police misconduct.

Chicago arrests drop 82 percent in 10 years

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 2, 2023

Chicago is in line with other large American cities in the sharp drop in arrests over the past 10 years, reports The Center Square.

In blow to wrongful conviction industry, judge comes down hard on torture commission

By W.J. Kennedy | Oct 31, 2023

An obscure 14-year-old commission that investigates claims of police torture, and has become a pipeline of lucrative wrongful conviction cases for plaintiffs’ attorneys, is “very perilous to our system,” a Will County judge has ruled.

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