TAKE BOLD ACTION: File your complaint with the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board

The two newest IL Supreme Court justices declined to recuse themselves from the Caulkins gun case despite obvious conflicts of interest. So it’s time to file some complaints.

Are you disgusted by how IL Supreme Court justices can take a million dollars from Gov. J.B. Pritzker last year for their campaigns and then months later pretend they can maintain impartiality in a high profile case where he’s the defendant?

Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals Rule #4 reads “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”

How would you, as an individual, like to make an impact helping to protect and defend the public’s perception of an independent, fair, and impartial judiciary? Or in this case the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct and the Canons therein? Here’s your chance.

The obscure Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board (IJIB) handles complaints against judges. The little known board evaluates complaints and investigates as necessary before delivering a determination. The board has the power to sanction or even remove the jurist as they did with one in 2020.

Regardless of the outcome of the investigation into the complaint, the complaint and its allegations remains a matter of public record in the judge’s file and is prominently listed on the IJIB website.

Since 1972, only 102 complaints are listed against judges. So imagine if there were multiple complaints filed against Justices Rochford and O’Brien? Or maybe 102 complaints?

One judge told us that even a single complaint poses headaches for the respondent judges (the jurist named in the complaint). A slew of complaints would create a massive headache for political leaders and news of the complaints might even break into the mainstream media.

On the IL Judicial Inquiry Board’s website, the complaint form is located under “More” in the upper right-hand corner of the board’s website at jib.illinois.gov.

Alternatively, you may write a letter (follow the template below).

Once you’ve completed your complaint, either by form or by written letter, you should mail it to:

Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board
555 West Monroe Street, Suite 800-N
Chicago, Illinois 60661

Retaliation against complainants is strictly prohibited and could result in removal of the judge.

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You can use the information below, but put it in your own words.  Here’s what they’re looking for:

You may write a letter detailing what the judge did that you believe constitutes
misconduct or indicates incapacity. You must provide the judge’s first and last name; the case
number and name (if your complaint concerns a court case); type of case (e.g. criminal, domestic
relations, small claims); your relationship to the case (e.g. plaintiff, defendant, witness); the names
of any witnesses, including attorneys; date(s), time(s), and location of the misconduct; and your first
and last name, address, and telephone number.

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Sample complaint letter for Justice Elizabeth Rochford

Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board
555 West Monroe Street, Suite 800-N
Chicago, Illinois 60661
Fax (312) 814-5719

Your name
Your address
Your phone number
Your email address if you want to include it.

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Rochford
Springfield, IL
Case No. 129453 – Dan Caulkins et al., etc., appellees, v. Governor Jay Robert Pritzker, etc., et al.

This case is currently under consideration.

I am not a named party in the matter.

Complaint #1: Violation of the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct Canon 1, Rule 1.2
Under the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct Rule 1.2, “A judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.

Furthermore, under comments: [3] Conduct that compromises or appears to compromise the independence, integrity, and impartiality of a judge undermines public confidence in the judiciary.

My complaint:  In the case of Justice Rochford, during her campaign for her seat on the Illinois Supreme Court in 2022, Governor J.B. Pritzker personally or through trusts controlled by him donated $1M to her campaign. Not only that, by House Speaker Chris Welch donated $350,000 to Justice Rochford’s campaign. This doesn’t count $700,000 Senate President Don Harmon contributed directly from his campaign fund or the Illinois Senate Democratic Fund to “All for Justice” which spent $3.7M on Justice Rochford’s campaign and $3.6M on Justice O’Brien’s campaign. Those three funding sources accounted for almost 20% of Justice Rochford’s campaign donation totals.

Now just a few months later, all three men are named as defendants in this politically high-profile case appearing before the Illinois Supreme Court and Justice Rochford. Remarkably, Justice Rochford turned away a motion to recuse herself from this case.

Receiving nearly 20% of one’s total campaign spending from three individuals named in a single, high-profile, politically-sensitive case being adjudicated in front of that same judge a few months later would cause a reasonable person to believe those donations might taint that judge’s impartiality. Frankly, it creates the appearance of impropriety. And Justice Rochford’s refusal to recuse herself does nothing but erode the public confidence in the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.

Complaint #2. Violation of Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct Canon 2, Rule 2.1
RULE 2.1: … (B) A judge shall not, in connection with cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the court, make pledges, promises, or commitments that are inconsistent with the impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of judicial office.

During last year’s campaign, Justice Rochford received an endorsement from G-PAC, a gun control organization in IL. To receive that endorsement, candidates had to voice their support for G-PAC’s top legislative priority: banning so-called “assault weapons” and the magazines that feed them in Illinois.

Additionally, then judge Rochford posed for a photo with a number of Moms Demand Action gun control activists while holding a cookie that read, “Moms Demand Action.”

Again, a reasonable person would believe that a judicial candidate pledging a position on an issue likely to appear in front of them in court – such as this – would taint that judge’s appearance of impartiality. Hence why Rule 2.1 exists.

For these reasons, I’ve submitted this complaint to the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board. I would urge you to take the appropriate action to protect and defend the public’s perception of an independent, fair, and impartial judiciary that is so indispensable to our system of justice.

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Sample complaint letter for Justice Mary Kay O’Brien

Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board
555 West Monroe Street, Suite 800-N
Chicago, Illinois 60661
Fax (312) 814-5719

Your name
Your address
Your phone number
Your email address if you want to include it.

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Kay O’Brien
Springfield, IL
Case No. 129453 – Dan Caulkins et al., etc., appellees, v. Governor Jay Robert Pritzker, etc., et al.

This case is currently under consideration.

I am not a named party in the matter.

Complaint #1: Violation of the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct Canon 1, Rule 1.2
Under the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct Rule 1.2, “A judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.

Furthermore, under comments: [3] Conduct that compromises or appears to compromise the independence, integrity, and impartiality of a judge undermines public confidence in the judiciary.

My complaint:  In the case of Justice O’Brien, during her campaign for her seat on the Illinois Supreme Court in 2022, Governor J.B. Pritzker personally or through trusts controlled by him donated $1M to her campaign. Not only that, by House Speaker Chris Welch donated $150,000 to Justice O’Brien’s campaign. This doesn’t count $700,000 Senate President Don Harmon contributed directly from his campaign fund or the Illinois Senate Democratic Fund to “All for Justice” which spent $3.7M on Justice Rochford’s campaign and $3.6M on Justice O’Brien’s campaign. Those three funding sources accounted for almost 20% of Justice O’Brien’s campaign donation totals.

Now just a few months later, all three men are named as defendants in this politically high-profile case appearing before the Illinois Supreme Court and Justice O’Brien. Remarkably, Justice O’Brien turned away a motion to recuse herself from this case.

Receiving nearly 20% of one’s total campaign spending from three individuals named in a single, high-profile, politically-sensitive case being adjudicated in front of that same judge a few months later would cause a reasonable person to believe those donations might taint that judge’s impartiality. Frankly, it creates the appearance of impropriety. And Justice O’Brien’s refusal to recuse herself does nothing but erode the public confidence in the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.

Complaint #2. Violation of Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct Canon 2, Rule 2.1
RULE 2.1: … (B) A judge shall not, in connection with cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the court, make pledges, promises, or commitments that are inconsistent with the impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of judicial office.

During last year’s campaign, Justice O’Brien received an endorsement from G-PAC, a gun control organization in IL. To receive that endorsement, candidates had to voice their support for G-PAC’s top legislative priority: banning so-called “assault weapons” and the magazines that feed them in Illinois.

Again, a reasonable person would believe that a judicial candidate pledging a position on an issue likely to appear in front of them in court – such as this – would taint that judge’s appearance of impartiality. Hence why Rule 2.1 exists.

For these reasons, I’ve submitted this complaint to the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board. I would urge you to take the appropriate action to protect and defend the public’s perception of an independent, fair, and impartial judiciary that is so indispensable to our system of justice.

SOME ADDITIONAL PAPERWORK/SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION.

Link to the denial of the Caulkins motion for recusal here.

Campaign reports for Rochford including the biggest donors here.

Campaign reports for O’Brien including biggest donors….

Information on Don Harmon’s donations to the candidates here from a Tribune article.

You can download and save the Rochford photos above.

Just in case the GPAC endorsement page disappears (and I would suspect they’ll take it down soon as they learn of these complaints), you can get it at WaybackMachine.  And if that fails, here’s a screen grab from May 19, 2023.