When Operation Greylord scandal made the media, not a lawyer in Cook County, Illinois was surprised.   We all had learned to grin and bear it, and hope that our cases would be routed toward the Judges who would give us level playing field and an honest decision.   Most of us knew the ‘crooks,’ the occasionally crooked, and those who had integrity.   The latest two categories encompassed the large majority of the judiciary.    Thus, they system functioned and served as the escape valve of our society.    When you appeared before one to the crooks you tried your case for appeal and prayed.

As my career closed out after more than 1/2 a century the level playing field still existed but it was bit more difficult to feel that a fair shake was in the offing.   I personally was fortunate and until I found myself on the 18th Floor of the Daley Center (Probate Division) I felt confident in the integrity of the jurists before whom I appeared.    Indeed, Judge Maureen Connors was a shock!   I never considered her to be a good judge, but, it never occurred to me she would do what she did in the Mary Sykes case.

When I first pulled the file in the Mary Sykes case and saw that the Sheriff of Cook County was being directed to serve summons on Mary when the petitioner, the petitioner’s attorney, the two guardian ad litem, and Judge Connors herself all knew that Mary had been forcibly removed to an adjoining county – DuPage – I knew something was amiss.    Indeed, I read 755 ILCS 5/11a – 1 et seq, and in particular 3b, and 10.   I also knew that to meet the criteria of due process Mary had to be afforded some kind of NOTICE AND HEARING.     The Court also had to have jurisdiction over her.   I understood immediately why I had received threatening telephone calls from the attorney for the guardian and one of the guardian ad litem!    The Court never obtained jurisdiction, never given notice, and never held a hearing to make the 755 ILCS 5/11a – 3b determinations.

Jerome Larkin and his 18 USCA 371 co-conspirators also are aware of this malady, but, in their effort to cover-up the criminal conspiracy, fraud, and other felonies they have resorted to the age old method of dealing with problems when you are dead wrong, to wit:  Lie loudly and use your clout to obfuscate the truth.

Recently the Chicago Sun-Times has run a series of articles that are significant.   Jessie Jackson Jr. can always be counted on to demonstrate the MO of the Chicago Political Elite.  Mr. Ng Lap Seng who became famous in the Clinton campaign finance scandals of he mid 1990’s relating to foreign money flowing ot the Democratic National Committee allegedly employed Jessie as a consultant.   After Jessie received all the money and the Fed found out about it he offered to wear a wire!   Chicago Politics right out of the cesspool!

Chicago has a tawdry reputation to preserve so the publicists employed by Chicago dug up Judge O’Hara.   Judge O’Hara is boring!     She just committed mortgage fraud.   She filed the tried and true MO of the Chicago Political and Judicial elite.   The steps employed are fool proof!  1) lie on a mortgage application, 2) after you get the money refinance and or set up a fraudulent sale, the the purchaser can get more money out of the bank.   Paying down the loan is simple – place a price on litigants to get a favorable decision.    The Bank has handled hundreds of these transactions for area judges and the learned the lesson – scratch my back and I scratch yours.

The Chicago Sun Times recognized that this is a NON ELECTION Year so that informing the public of what is going on in Chicago is not dangerous to the survival of the paper.   Indeed, even pointing out that the miscreants are of a particular political party is safe copy.

As everyone knows, a columnist (John Kass)  from the Chicago Tribune wrote an article informing the public how a lawyer became a judge.   If you google the article you will not find it, but many read it and I believe that JoAnne Denison actually archived it in her blog.    JoAnne has a nasty habit of exposing corruption in her blog MaryGSykes.com and Justice4every1.com.    The Column is worth a read.

On the recent pages of the Sun-Times is another revealing article.   It details how Judge Richard Cooke dealt with the Judicial Elite and the judicial system are disclosed.    The Article on Judge Cooke is not complete and does not reveal the whole story, but, it gives a clear insight into why the judicial system here in Cook County, Illinois is a cesspool and not a swamp!

Richard Cooke was faced with the dilemma that John Cass described in his column = he wanted to become a judge.   Ergo, he had to go to the store selling judgeships and make a purchase. He picked out a judgeship that was uncontested and paid “more that $67,000” to Democratic Party leaders  and another $40,000 to a company owned by State Representative Arroyo, D-Chicago.    Interestingly enough the ‘blood money’ is $7,000 more than another lawyer was charged for disappointed slating.   The non-slated attorney was assured that he would be an associate judge.

Judge Cooke was to be assigned to a cafeteria Court – i.e. traffic court.   Cooke told the Suntimes that he created a $660,000 war chest to run for this uncontested office.    What did he not tell the Sun-Times?    In the ‘old days’ the lawyers who had to purchase judgeships gave assurances of “party” loyalty.   This usually meant they were given some illegal task to perform, which they did – and they got away with it; however, it was held over their head anytime a ‘special favor’ was required.    Did Cooke refuse?    Did he make available the ungodly sum of $660,000 so as to purchase his way out of the pledge of ‘party loyalty?’

Cooke is not going to tell us, and the Sun-times if they know the the answer is certainly not going to tell you or me!    They have certain incurred the wrath of JEROME LARKIN and the Illinois Supreme Court, as they have made the John Kass disclosure with facts and actual numbers to back it up!   It is a very good thing that Dan Mihalopoulos  (the reporter) is not a lawyer – I got a 4 year suspension for asking for an HONEST INVESTIGATION of the Mary Sykes case and JoAnne Denison an interim suspension and 3 years  – ditto for Lanre Amu — All we asked for was an INVESTIGATION of obvious fraud in the Cook County Court System.   Mr. Mihalopoulos disclosed FACTS and numbers!

I wish that I could tell people that all this criminality was confined to Chicago – It is not.   See: