Cook County Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman (left). Screenshot of AI genertated ankle monitor toy from TikTok (right) (Photo courtesy Facebook/TikTok)
Cook County Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman has been reassigned and may be disciplined after she posted a racist meme in a text message.
Glennon-Goodman, a judge in the Cook County Circuit Court’s pretrial division, sent an image of a Black boy wearing an electronic monitor with the text “My First Ankle Monitor.”
Glennon-Goodman also sent a text saying, “My husband’s idea of Christmas humor,” according to a screenshot of the image. The story was first reported by Injustice Watch.
Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans issued an order temporarily reassigning Glennon-Goodman “to promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary” after meeting with the court’s executive committee on January 10.
The order also states that Glennon-Goodman will receive implicit bias training and be referred to the state’s Judicial Inquiry Board to “determine whether further sanction is warranted. “
According to the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, when a complaint is made against a judge, the Board acknowledges receipt of the complaint in writing. After staff analysis, the complaint and other relevant documents are forwarded to each board member for review prior to its monthly meeting. At its meeting, the Board determines appropriate action, which may include the following:
• Close the complaint because the allegations did not constitute incapacity and/or misconduct under Illinois law and standards of judicial conduct. Most often these complaints concern a losing litigant’s subjective perception that justice was not obtained in his or her cause. By closing the complaint, the Board does not pass judgment on the merits of the case. This is the sole responsibility of the Appellate Court. A letter is sent to the complainant informing him or her that the complaint has been closed.
• Investigate the complaint. An investigation may entail writing a letter to the judge to request his or her explanation of the matter, reviewing court and non-court documents, interviewing the complainant as well as other witnesses, or monitoring courtrooms. Investigations are continued until the Board has sufficient information upon which to base a final determination.
• Appear before the Board. Require the judge to appear before the Board and respond to questions regarding misconduct and/or incapacity allegations. In this instance, the judge is served with a written notice setting forth the allegations against him or her.
After an investigation is completed, the complaint and investigative materials are forwarded to each Board member for review prior to its monthly meeting. At its meeting, the Board determines appropriate action, which may include the following:
• Close the complaint because of insufficient cause to take further action.
• Close the complaint but monitor the judge’s courtroom.
• Close the complaint and issue the judge a private letter of admonishment or caution.
If the Board does file a formal complaint with the Courts Commission, the Board serves as a prosecutor in the proceedings before the Commission. If the Commission sustains the Board’s complaint, it has the sole authority to impose the following sanctions:
• Remove from office
• Suspend without pay
• Censure
• Reprimand
• Suspend, with or without pay, or retire a judge who is physically or mentally unable to perform his or her duties
In a statement Wednesday, the Cook County Bar Association, a Black organization, said, “It is our understanding that the photo was meant to be shared with a different audience and that the judge involved has apologized profusely. Nevertheless, such media is inappropriate to share regardless of the audience.”
The statement also said, “Any judge should be unbiased enough to not further circulate such a racist trope … The imagery recalls our nation’s history of inappropriate media images of Black people (such as blackface) and such imagery continues to shape the opinions of Black people, particularly Black men.”
According to WBEZ, Glennon-Goodman has only been a judge since last February. She was first appointed to a vacancy announced by the Illinois Supreme Court and then ran unopposed for a seat in the 10th Subcircuit. Her term ends in 2030.
Before becoming a judge, Glennon-Goodman was a longtime employee in the county public defender’s office, starting in 1997 and working over 20 years on homicide cases. She graduated from the John Marshall Law School and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
