CHICAGO — People charged with serious crimes in Chicago may soon find it a little harder to get out of jail while they fight the charges. By this time next week, all three of the most lenient judges on the roster that sets pretrial conditions for defendants at the 26th and California courthouse will be working new assignments.
They’re being replaced by recently elected judges, many of whom served as career prosecutors. One famously sent an email ripping former State’s Attorney Kim Foxx when he resigned in 2022.
Starting next Monday, Judge William Fahy will be moving to the Bridgeview courthouse and Judge David Kelly will begin working 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 just 46% of the detention petitions prosecutors gave him. Fahy approved only 59% of petitions, making him the third most lenient judge.
Fahy and Kelly have been assigned to pretrial work since December 2022. Judges often rotate out of the position after two or three years.
Coincidentally, the second most lenient judge, Carline Glennon-Goodman, was booted out of the Pretrial Division two weeks ago after she mistakenly circulated an image of a fake toy called “My First Ankle Monitor” that included a rendering of a Black toddler wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.
The chief judge’s spokesperson said five judges are moving into the Pretrial Division, increasing the roster of judges handling cases from nine to twelve. Courthouse insiders say more judges have joined the division to prepare for unannounced operational changes.
Beginning February 3, freshly-charged defendants may be appearing 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 career prosecutor and supervisor who personally handled pretrial hearings for murder, attempted murder, and sexual assault cases until he famously quit in 2022. In a lengthy goodbye email to colleagues, Murphy said he had “zero confidence” in the Foxx administration. He also voiced support for eliminating cash bail but questioned the “rush” to enact the state’s version of cashless bail.
- Judge James “Jack” Costello was also a career prosecutor until being elected to the bench last fall. He most recently worked on public corruption and complex financial crimes.
- Judge John Hock worked as a Lake County public defender, then moved to the prosecution side in Cook County. As an assistant state’s attorney here, Hock handled criminal cases at the 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 to an associate judgeship in April 2024 and won her unopposed campaign for a circuit judgeship in November.
- Judge Luciano Panici, Jr. also won a circuit judgeship 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.
