On Friday, September 13, 2024, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall was unaware that her family’s company had hired the law firm of former Alderman Edward M. Burke, which she recently sentenced to two years in prison for corruption-related charges. The revelation came to light through an investigation that detailed the connections between Judge Kendall, her family’s business, and Burke’s legal firm.
The report indicated that Land and Lakes Co., a company owned by Judge Kendall’s family, had engaged Burke’s firm, Klafter & Burke, in a legal battle against the City of Chicago in 1994. The lawsuit aimed to prevent the city from shutting down the family’s landfill operations on the Southeast Side, which were threatened by a city moratorium on landfill expansions that Burke had supported.
While there is no evidence that Edward Burke was directly involved in this particular case, his wife, Anne Burke, who served as an Illinois Supreme Court Justice, was a member of the legal team representing the landfill owners. Judge Kendall, who has served on the federal bench since 2006, stated that she was unaware of this connection until contacted by the Sun-Times. She maintained that her family’s hiring of Burke’s firm did not present a conflict of interest regarding her judicial responsibilities in Burke’s corruption case.
In response to inquiries about potential conflicts, Judge Kendall sought an opinion from the general counsel for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. The opinion, received after Burke’s sentencing, stated that she had no obligation to recuse herself from the case, as her family’s prior dealings with Burke’s firm were not relevant to her role as a judge.
Thomas Bruton, the clerk of the U.S. District Court in Chicago, clarified that there was no indication that any party involved in Burke’s trial had raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. He emphasized that Kendall, at no point, was informed of her family’s involvement with Burke’s firm during the trial proceedings.
Judge Kendall has consistently listed her family’s businesses in her recusal statements since becoming a judge, asserting that she has never been directly employed by Land and Lakes. Additionally, she holds a financial interest in Prairie Recreational Developments, Inc., another company linked to her family. However, she did not respond to specific questions regarding the financial details of her involvement or whether any trust fund associated with her family included money from Land and Lakes.
Burke, who is scheduled to report to prison by September 23, faced sentencing after being convicted of racketeering, bribery, and attempted extortion. His case was initially assigned to Judge Robert Dow but was later reassigned to Judge Kendall in October 2022. During sentencing, Judge Kendall ordered Burke to serve two years in prison and pay a $2 million fine, despite prosecutors seeking a ten-year sentence.
In her reasoning for the lighter sentence, Judge Kendall cited Burke’s age and the numerous letters of support from various community members and family, which she had never encountered in her career. She also expressed concerns about a plea deal involving another former alderman, Danny Solis, who was cooperating with prosecutors but likely to avoid prison time due to his assistance.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
