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On April 1, 2009, retired Judge Abishi C. Cunningham, was sworn in by the Presiding Judge of the Sixth Municipal District, Marjorie Laws, as the Public Defender of Cook County. Judge Cunningham brings with him a commitment to uphold the Bill of Rights for the indigent citizenry of Cook County. A brief biography is available online.
Judge Cunningham’s predecessor, Edwin Burnette will leave an important legacy, that of two recent cases that bear his name: Burnette v. Terrell and Burnette v. Stroger. These two cases, which came down within the last few weeks and are reported under the Hot Legal Topics tab of this website, gave meaning to the statute that made the public defender an independant office, not under the jurisdiction of the Chief Judge. The two cases establish the autonomy of the Public Defender and make clear that it is the Public Defender who controls his office, not the President of the Cook County Board. As Ed Burnette’s attorney, Victor Henderson was quoted as saying, “[b]ut for his courage in standing up to Todd Stroger, it is likely that he would have been appointed for another six-year term. There is a price to pay for justice and this case that price was Ed’s job.” Well said Victor, and best of luck to Ed Burnette. At least he was able to complete his term with his head held up high.
I have had several conversations with Judge Cunningham and believe that he has the best interests of the office in mind. He obviously comes with a substantial amount of experience from the bench, a first for the Public Defender, and therefore is sure to garner respect from the judges we appear before. He has stated that he wants to work with us on many issues that our office faces. Moreover, he wants to be more hands on and visit job sites and talk to the assistants in the courtroom and even pick up a file and try a case. On behalf of the local and membership, I extend a warm welcome to Judge Cunningham, the Public Defender of Cook County.
In Solidarity,
K. S. Galhotra
President, Local 3315
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