Afternoon Briefs: First female judge will head Cook County Criminal Court; 2 firms cancel merger
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First female judge will preside over Illinois criminal court
Judge Erica Reddick was appointed as presiding judge of the Cook County Criminal Court in Chicago on Monday, marking the first time that a woman will fill the role in one of the country’s busiest felony courthouses. Reddick served for nearly 20 years in the Cook County public defender’s office before her appointment as a judge in 2010. She served in the municipal department and the child protection division. After she was elected to her first full term as a judge in 2012, she was assigned to the criminal division. She is also an instructor at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. (Jan. 4 news release, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times)
Redgrave and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough call off merger
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and Redgrave have called off their merger because of client conflicts. The two law firms announced in November that Redgrave’s lawyers, directors and advisers would join Nelson Mullins’ Encompass practice, a wholly owned subsidiary that is billed online as an e-discovery firm. The practice would have been known as Encompass Redgrave and included 130 professionals. (Law.com)
Census count will determine congressional seats expected next month, DOJ attorney says
John Coghlan, a deputy assistant attorney general, said during a court hearing Monday that the head count to determine congressional seats won’t be done until February. The U.S. Census Bureau found new irregularities in the data that determines the seats and the distribution of $1.5 trillion in annual federal spending, he said. The bureau is required under federal law to turn in the numbers used for allocating congressional seats by Dec. 31 but had already announced that it needed more time. Since President Donald Trump will no longer be in office, he will not be able to exclude people who are in the country illegally from the final counts. (The Associated Press, Politico)
New Arizona attorney includes ending cash bail in criminal justice reforms
On her first day Monday, new Pima County, Arizona, attorney Laura Conover released her promised list of planned reforms to the criminal prosecution system. Among the changes, she wants to ensure that deportation proceedings by federal authorities are not triggered by cases that don’t involve possible jail or prison time. Conover also wants prosecutors to stop asking judges to set cash bail for nonviolent offenders. Several jurisdictions around the country have ended cash bail. (Arizona Public Media)
