Many people in Chicago are reveling in the re-election of our hometown president, but there are other election results that should not fill our city with such pride. Nationally people have questioned how Jesse Jackson, Jr. managed to be re-elected, but our city has a less publicized embarrassment in our election results, Cynthia Brim.
Every election Chicagoans are forced to vote yes or no on the retention of a long list of judges. There were more than 50 on this year’s ballot. It is unreasonable to expect that voters will research everyone on the list. At best they may blindly follow a voting guide, but most people don’t even bother with that. As a result, judges are almost always retained, so what’s the point the point of even asking?
One of the judges retained this year was Cynthia Brim. This morning she appeared in court in connection with her assault of two sheriff’s deputies, an act that her lawyer said occurred because she was “legally insane.” This event is only part of a record that put her on top of the Chicago Tribune’s list of judges to be fired. Despite all this Cynthia Brim was retained by a high margin.
Cynthia Brim’s retention (despite having been removed from judicial duties) is evidence that Chicago’s system of judicial review does not work. Lets get judges off Chicago’s ballot.
Kim Z. Dale 