The Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board charges the Honorable William B. Raines – judge of Cook County Circuit Court – with conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice and that brings the judicial office into disrepute.
The filing in the Illinois Courts Commission is entitled ‘Complaint,’ filed on Friday, June 17, 2022, in a case styled as The Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board v. Judge Raines. The case number is 22-CC-02.
The allegations include violations of judicial canon Code of Judicial Conduct, Illinois Supreme Court Rule 61, Canon 1. These ethics rules generally require:
A Judge should uphold the integrity and independence of the Judiciary. An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice in our society.
A judge should participate in establishing, maintaining, and enforcing, and should personally observe, high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved. The provisions of this Code should be construed and applied to further that objective.
The judicial canons can be found here https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/jib/Pages/Code.aspx .
The complaint alleges:
“On January 11, 2022, Respondent conducted court proceedings via livestream video. After the court had adjourned, Respondent, while still on the bench, mistakenly believed that the livestream had ended and initiated a conversation with two Assistant State’s Attorneys and an Assistant Public Defender. Through the course of that conversation, Respondent made derogatory, injudicious, and demeaning statements about two attorneys who had appeared before him that day.”
The Judge earned a law degree from Golden State University School of Law. The Judge is in Courtroom 1301, 50 West Washington Street in Chicago and can be reached at (773) 603-6301. https://www.cookcountycourt.org/Judges-Pages/Raines-William-B .
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
