It's quite sad that Pat Fitzgerald has to be the one to take the lead and get these guys on perjury.Alderman Smith has a good point.The problem is Alderman Smith is part of a system that doesn't believe in checks and balances.Smith has supported Mayor Daley( the man who should have been the one to prosecute these cases when he was State's Attorney).Does it bother Alderman Smith that he keeps voting for budgets that defend the status quo? When will Alderman Smith demand that the City Council investigate several of the major police scandals the last several years? Who did Chief of Detectives William Hanhardt hire who's still on the police payroll? Alderman Smith should be asking that and other questions besides questioning the important John Burge investigations.Police brutality doesn't seem to bother Lisa Madigan when good,white Chicago Democrats who are loyal patronage hacks are committing the crimes.
MOON
· 10 months ago
Whats the big deal?
The potential conflict is gone with Devine's retirement. The cases belong in the States Attorney's office. If they are sent back and then "fall through the cracks", that is the fault of the States Attorney.
Ghost
· 10 months ago
Keep in mind madigan does not have access to a grand jury. It seems backwards to put pressure on madigan and not the States attorney with the very powerful tool of a grand jury. Also the State attorney would be a lot more exposed to local voter disatification.
Carl Nyberg
· 10 months ago
All of the 25 have done at least 17 years in prison.
Most of them are almost certainly innocent. It's possible they are all innocent.
Paging Gov. Pat Quinn: grant clemency to these 25 Americans who were tortured at the hands of their government.
Pat collins
· 10 months ago
“If this is shifted back, it’s gonna get lost in the cracks, put on the back burner and nothing will happen.
That's a pretty hard slam on the new State's Atty. Should he not at least give her a chance?
wordslinger
· 10 months ago
Why shouldn't the Cook County State's Attorney handle this? That's where the cases originated. And let's face it -- Illinois Attorney General is a great sounding title, but it's kind of a Mickey Mouse office. Cook County SA has way more resources.
Devine is the bad guy here for booting them in the first place -- he could have insulated himself and his supposed "conflict" within his office.
BannedForLife
· 10 months ago
the Cook County State's attorney's office is the ash can for public corruption
Bacon
· 10 months ago
Rich, I'm not sure I see the point? Why not put pressure on SA, who originated the investigation and is now, ostensibly, free of a conflict of interest? What's the angle here? Besides the obvious one of creating some leverage in a high profile Guv primary?
the Patriot
· 10 months ago
No surprise here. Lisa Madigan's MO is do not handle anything controversial. She lacks the intellect and experience to handle tough cases and the past 6 years have proven that. She campaigned on cleaning up after George Ryan and was very clear she would prosecute tough cases.
This is just another example that Lisa Madigan is nothing, but a puppet for her father and Daley. It is getting a little ridiculous.
L.S.
· 10 months ago
Madigan has never been one to back down from a good issue or a good fight. But this case belongs in the SA office. They have the juridiction and resources to prosecute. Smith should turn his attetnion to Alverez if he wants to see the case go to trial.
Tre
· 10 months ago
Ald. Smith has a political organization? He was desroyed by Eugene Moore.
Factmonger
· 10 months ago
Just to clear up a few misconceptions: The Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court ruled five years ago that Dick Devine's conflict of interest had permeated the SA's office, because Devine was too slow to insulate himself from the Burge cases.
Anita Alvarez was one of Devine's top deputies. Without impugning her integrity, it's clear that, if the office was "tainted" (the court's words) by a conflict of interest, she would have been exposed to the problem. If the court were now to transfer the cases back into her purview, it would contradict the logic of its previous ruling.
Moreover, any cases that are transferred to the State's Attorney are subject to delays resulting from the change in jurisdiction and the State's Attorney's admissions that they have made no contingencies to resume responsibility for the filings. Burge victims have waited far too long for hearings on the ample and deplorable evidence that they were tortured.
Justice delayed is, indeed, justice denied.
moby
· 10 months ago
Sadly, the state of Illinois is responsible for more torture than just this. Prisoners at the supermax at Tamms are subject to long term isolation (one third have been there more than 10 years), sensory deprivation, and sleep deprivation. These are forms of clean torture or stealth torture no less damaging than cattle prods and plastic bags over the head. And yet there are no investigations and no apparent outrage. Now we know that the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay -- including Khalid Sheikh Muhamed (9/11 mastermind) -- are treated better than this!
Loop Lady
· 10 months ago
Dear Patriot: OUCH! I don't know if she is a puppet, but she sure has shown how ambitious she is in the last few months...I think this gives he electorate a chance to see her for what she is...just like Dad...
All Comments
The potential conflict is gone with Devine's retirement. The cases belong in the States Attorney's office. If they are sent back and then "fall through the cracks", that is the fault of the States Attorney.
Most of them are almost certainly innocent. It's possible they are all innocent.
Paging Gov. Pat Quinn: grant clemency to these 25 Americans who were tortured at the hands of their government.
That's a pretty hard slam on the new State's Atty. Should he not at least give her a chance?
Devine is the bad guy here for booting them in the first place -- he could have insulated himself and his supposed "conflict" within his office.
This is just another example that Lisa Madigan is nothing, but a puppet for her father and Daley. It is getting a little ridiculous.
Anita Alvarez was one of Devine's top deputies. Without impugning her integrity, it's clear that, if the office was "tainted" (the court's words) by a conflict of interest, she would have been exposed to the problem. If the court were now to transfer the cases back into her purview, it would contradict the logic of its previous ruling.
Moreover, any cases that are transferred to the State's Attorney are subject to delays resulting from the change in jurisdiction and the State's Attorney's admissions that they have made no contingencies to resume responsibility for the filings. Burge victims have waited far too long for hearings on the ample and deplorable evidence that they were tortured.
Justice delayed is, indeed, justice denied.
puppet, but she sure has shown how ambitious she is in the last few months...I think this gives he electorate a chance to see her for what she is...just like Dad...