PEORIA, IL -- The most interesting local race in the Democratic primary here is the contest between two women for Peoria County judge, Jodi Hoos, now an appointed judge, and Sonni Williams, an attorney for the city of Peoria. The winner faces a Republican in November.
The two women appeared at a candidate forum held on Feb.6 by the Peoria County Democratic Women. Thanks to my question, about potential conflicts of interest, and interviews after the event, the forum moved beyond biography and experience.
Both women have working class backgrounds, but managed to attend college and law school. Both have the requisite experience for judge. Both have conflicts of interest that need to be addressed, as well as troubling cases they have been involved with.
Jodi Hoos said she went to work for the Peoria County State's Attorney's office out of law school, became chief of felony prosecutions, and was appointed judge 14 months ago.
She has been endorsed by State's Attorney Jerry Brady and the Peoria County Democratic party. Democrat Brady is running for reelection unopposed thus far, though the Republican party still has time to appoint someone to run against him.
Hoos and Brady recently held a joint fund-raiser. Hoos doesn't view this connection as a problem, because she is currently assigned to hear civil cases, not criminal cases. Her opponent, Williams, finds the connection a violation of judicial ethics.
"I'm proud of (Brady's) support, but that does not mean there's a conflict," Hoos said.
"Every person gets a fair opportunity," in her courtroom, she said.
In addition, Hoos was recently sued in federal court for a criminal case she was involved with as prosecutor that was overturned by the Appellate Court. It allegedly sent an innocent man to prison for three years. A justice stated that the evidence shows he was innocent, not guilty.
In an interview, Hoos said the suit against her personally has been dismissed, but she does not know whether that will be appealed. She said the evidence was strong against the defendant, and the courtroom testimony against him was compelling.
Williams has a different conflict, her marriage to attorney Dick Williams who works in a Peoria law firm. She said she would not hear cases involving that firm. "I bring impartiality. I'm not tied to anyone," she said.
Afterward I asked Williams about her role in the notorious Twittergate case, the case that brought international attention to Peoria. The mayor, Jim Ardis, was angry that a Peoria man set up a fake Twitter account that rudely and obscenely mocked him, so ordered police to arrest him and raid the house where he lived with others.
Three judges, not Hoos, signed the required warrants to find out the ownership of the Twitter account and search the house. When the house was raided police found marijuana, and one of the residents was prosecuted for possession.
Brady ultimately did not prosecute the Twitter poster, as he belatedly realized the free speech implications.
With the entire event a serious free speech violation, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the city in federal court and won a $250,000 settlement for the Twitter poster. The settlement irked some civil libertarians because no depositions were ever taken to find out who said what to generate the police raid.
The fellow arrested for marijuana possession pleaded guilty to a low level charge, so the warrants were not contested.
Williams in an interview said she had no real involvement in the case. Brady told the mayor initially that the Twitter case broke the law, thus signing off on the raid, she said. He later recanted that position.
On the day the mayor held a press conference to read the Twitter insults against him, Williams said she was in Chicago at a conference on other city business, the combined sewer outflow issues. She had no role in his awful performance that was mocked widely, she said.
So -- which candidate deserves a vote in the primary?
The entire judicial system in Peoria has been criticized by some as too inbred, with many conflicts of interest.
Defendants hate it when the lawyers and judges appear to be golfing or hunting buddies, since it reeks of bias on the part of the judge. Both candidates pledged to be impartial if elected.
There's another candidate forum on Feb. 20, at 10:15 am at the Peoria Public Library's North Branch, on Allen Road behind Menards. Stay tuned.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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