New Cook County chief judge takes over amid scrutiny over electronic monitoring program
New Cook County chief judge takes over amid scrutiny over electronic monitoring program
There was a rare changing of the guard at the top of Cook County’s justice system on Monday. County officials swore in a new Cook County chief judge who will oversee a system rife with controversy.
CHICAGO - There was a rare changing of the guard at the top of Cook County’s justice system on Monday.
County officials swore in a new Cook County chief judge who will oversee a system rife with controversy.
What we know:
Judge Charles Beach takes over the top spot after 24 years under the leadership of Tim Evans.
Beach inherits the sprawling court system as it faces fallout from a number of high-profile recent crimes committed by offenders who judges had released on electronic monitoring.
Most recently, Lawrence Reed was accused of trying to set a woman on fire at a Loop CTA station.
Running the pretrial release program is one of the many responsibilities of the chief judge, but also one of the most urgent, as the entire program is in the process of being transferred from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to the Chief Judge’s Office.
Evans, the previous chief judge, claimed there was no real way to police violations of electronic monitoring.
Beach did not comment on that program in his speech on Monday, but commented on the pillars of justice, fairness, and kindness towards others – the three things he said the courts will be built around under his watch.
"Fairness is the rejection of bias and commitment to treat every individual with dignity," Beach said. "It means … the facts and the law drive the case, not favoritism or prejudice. We must be relentless in seeking out and dismantling any barriers, visible or invisible, that impede equal treatment in our courtrooms."
Beach was elected by his peers after having served as a judge since 2017. Prior to that, he worked in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office.
The term of a chief judge is three years.