Chicago City Wire

Fifteen retired Democratic judges have endorsed former Judge Pat O’Brien for Cook County State’s Attorney just days before the Nov. 3 election as O’Brien, a former judge, challenges incumbent Kim Foxx.

“These judges are supporting my campaign because they know the integrity and professionalism that I will bring to the job,” said O’Brien, who was elected as a Cook County Circuit Court judge. “These respected jurists know my character, either through my role as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney, as Assistant Illinois Attorney General, as a judge or as a defense attorney.”

The judges who endorsed O’Brien include Mark Ballard, Robert Bertucci, Garritt Howard, Jack Hynes, Pam Karahalios, Lynne Kawamoto, Randye Kogan, James McGing, Colleen McSweeney Moore, Wayne Meyer, John Morrissey, Sheila O'Brien, William O'Brien, George Scully and Lauretta Wolfson.

Foxx | File photo

“Old-guard judges from the 1990s that believe in law and order and mass incarceration should endorse O'Brien,” Alex Sims, a spokesman for Foxx, told the Chicago City Wire. “We are proud to have the new guard and those that understand that the system failed Black and Brown communities for over 40 years. They are interested in both safety and justice working hand in hand." 

O’Brien presided as a Cook County Circuit Court judge for eight years while Foxx was elected state’s attorney in 2016 on a campaign that promised reform.

Regarding Foxx’s comment, O’Brien told the Chicago City Wire, “It is offensive to the judges and misses the point of their support for me. Foxx’s failed policies and my experience and judgment are the reason for the judges' support. It is Kim Foxx who is failing all the neighborhoods across the county including Black and Brown.”

Wayne Anderson, Robert Boharic, Thomas Fecarotta, William Kunkle and John Tourtelot are among the retired Republican Cook County judges who have endorsed O’Brien.

“I understand that this has been an uphill battle since the beginning, but our campaign has Ms. Foxx completely on the defensive,” O’Brien said. “Instead of debating me, she has hidden away for months with only a spokesperson to slander me and my campaign. She has refused to debate and when she ever speaks to the press, her only move has been to deflect every problem she has created by trying to create a fictional narrative about me.”