Litigation

Il Judge Backs Political Candidate with Bucks

By Peter Hardin

It’s no surprise when Gavel Grab seizes on controversy over a judge receiving certain campaign contributions. There’s a twist to the following item, however, because it’s about a judge making campaign contributions–to a pawnbroker who is now running for governor of Illinois.

That’s right. Cook County Judge Anthony Lynn Burrell (photo at left) made three contributions totaling $650 in August 2009 to the campaign committee of Scott Lee Cohen, who now is an independent candidate for governor, according to an article by the Chicago News Cooperative that was published in the New York Times.

Until February of this year, following some revelations about his conduct, Cohen was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.

When judges make political contributions, said Jeffrey M. Shaman, a law professor at DePaul University, it  ?entraps them in this political system and politicizes the selection of judges.?

The article said Illinois judges are not prohibited from making political contributions. It added, “The American Bar Association?s model code of conduct bars judges from contributing to political candidates unless they are currently candidates themselves. Mr. Burrell lost a primary election for a state appellate court vacancy in February.”

Full post as published by The Gavel on July 20, 2010 (boomark / email).