CHICAGO — People accused of serious crimes in Chicago may soon find it a little harder to get out of jail as they fight the charges. By this time next week, all three of the most lenient judges on the roster that sets pretrial terms for defendants in the 26th and California Courthouse will be working on new assignments.
They are being replaced by recently elected judges, many of whom served as prosecutors. One famously sent an email that ripped former state attorney Kim Foxx when he resigned in 2022.
Starting next Monday, Judge William Fahy will move to the Brideview Courthouse and Judge David Kelly will begin work in the Juvenile Justice Division, according to a spokesperson for Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans. Last fall, a CWBChicago review of court records found that Kelly was the most lenient of the pretrial division’s nine judges, approving only 46% of detention prosecutors. Fahy approved only 59% of petitions, making him the third most lenient judge.
Fahy and Kelly have been assigned to pretrial duties since December 2022. Judges often rotate positions after two or three years.
Coincidentally, the second most lenient judge, Carline Glennon-Goodman, was booted from the pretrial division two weeks ago after accidentally posting an image of a fake toy called “My First Ankle Monitor” that was an electronic monitoring bracelet.
The chief judge’s spokesman said five judges are moving to the pretrial division, leaving the roster of judges handling cases from nine to 12. Courthouse insiders say more judges have joined the division to prepare for unannounced operational changes.
Starting February 3, freshly charged defendants can appear before these incoming judges, all of whom are transferring from the traffic division, according to the Chief Judge’s office:
- Judge James V. Murphy was a prosecutor and supervisor who personally handled pretrial hearings for murder, attempted murder and sexual assault cases until he famously retired in 2022. In a lengthy farewell email to colleagues, Murphy said he ” zero confidence” had in “zero confidence” in The Foxx administration. He also expressed support for eliminating cash bail, but called for the “rush” to implement the state’s version of cashless bail.
- Judge James “Jack” Costello also was a prosecutor until he was elected to the bench last fall. He worked most recently About public corruption and complex financial crimes.
- Judge John Hock worked as a Lake County public defender and then moved to prosecutors in Cook County. As an assistant’s attorney – here’s Hock Criminal cases handled at higher appellate level. Like Murphy and Costello, he was elected to the bench last fall.
- Judge Rivanda Doss retired as a supervisor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in 2021 after a career that included stops in the Trial Division, Grand Jury Unit and Special Litigation Unit. She was appointed an associate judge in April 2024 and won her unopposed campaign for circuit judge in November.
- Judge Luciano Panici, JR. also won a circuit judge hearing in November. His legal career has been spent in private practice. His father, Luciano Panici, Sr., has been a Cook County Associate Judge Since 2001.
