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Council
policy statement on the On April 5th, Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow announced both that she is retiring from the bench and that she and her colleagues had voted to replace her with Illinois Appellate Court Justice Anne Burke. In response, the Council wished Justice McMorrow well and issued the following statement: April 5, 2006 The Chicago Council of Lawyers would have strongly preferred a more open selection process for such an important interim appointment. Justice McMorrow’s replacement will be a member of this State’s highest court for nearly two and a half years before Illinois voters have an opportunity to express their views on the merits of her candidacy. We believe that potential interim appointees to the Supreme Court should be subjected to public scrutiny and comment before the appointment is made, not after. The Council certainly wishes Justice Burke well in her new position and trusts that she will discharge her responsibilities on the Supreme Court faithfully and well, but we very much disapprove of the manner in which this appointment was made. We have an additional concern. One of the important responsibilities of a Supreme Court Justice is to nominate candidates to fill interim vacancies on the lower courts. In order to dispel any appearances of political influence in the appointment of judges to fill vacancies, we urge Justice Burke, like her distinguished predecessor, to convene a review commission for the purpose of screening and recommending candidates for judgeships. Carrie K.
Huff |