Judge reassigned, may face further discipline after allegedly texting racist meme
A Cook County, Illinois, judge has been reassigned and faces a state disciplinary investigation after allegedly sharing a racist meme in a text message. (Image from Shutterstock)
A Cook County, Illinois, judge has been reassigned and faces a state disciplinary investigation after allegedly sharing a racist meme in a text message.
Injustice Watch reported on Friday that Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman, a judge in the Cook County Circuit Court’s pretrial division, sent an image of a Black child and a Black child’s leg wearing an electronic monitor. Text included with the image reads “My First Ankle Monitor.”
Glennon-Goodman also sent a text saying, “My husband’s idea of Christmas humor,” according to a screenshot obtained 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 Friday.
Glennon-Goodman will receive implicit bias training and be referred to the state’s Judicial Inquiry Board to “determine whether further sanction is warranted,” the order also states.
A spokesperson for the Cook County Circuit Court declined to provide additional comments.
WBEZ, which also has coverage, reports that 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.
Glennon-Goodman was a longtime public defender in Cook County and worked on homicide cases before joining the bench, WBEZ reports.
Glennon-Goodman did not respond to requests for comment from Injustice Watch or WBEZ.
The Cook County Bar Association, the area’s largest professional association of Black lawyers, condemned the judge’s actions in a statement provided to Injustice Watch.
“It is our understanding that the photo was meant to be shared with a different audience, and that the judge involved has apologized profusely as a result,” the statement said. “Nevertheless, such media is inappropriate to share regardless of the intended audience.”
The bar association added: “Discernment and judgment are of utmost importance for the qualifications of a judge. Any judge should be unbiased enough to not further circulate such a racist trope.”
Glennon-Goodman’s texts were leaked to the public last week, according to Injustice Watch.
