Professional Documents
Culture Documents
NEWS
THE WATCHDOGS
THIS WEEK BY TIM NOVAK & CHRIS FUSCO
he judge whos to decide whether a special prosecutor investigates the Cook County states attorneys offices handling of a homicide case involving a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley has contributed $1,450 to the re-election campaign of States Attorney Anita Alvarez, records show. Illinois Supreme Court rules allow such contributions. Still, they are rare. Circuit Judge Michael P. Toomin is among eight Cook County judges who have given Alvarez at least $150 the minimum amount thats required to be reported in Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez has received $1,450 in donacampaign-finance filings. Thats 2 tions to her re-election campaign from Circuit Court Judge Michael P. percent of the 410 sitting judges. Toomin is set to hear arguments Toomin. | AL PODGORSKI~SUN-TIMES March 30 from lawyers for the C. Evans, the countys chief judge. uted to Alvarez four times, most family of David Koschman. Biebel says he didnt know about recently in June. He says he has They are asking the judge to Toomins contributions to Alvarez attended campaign fund-raisers appoint a special prosecutor to but that, even if he had known, it for Alvarez and also gave money investigate the circumstances of wouldnt have changed his mind to her predecessors but that his the 21-year-old Mount Prospect political contributions wont about assigning Toomin the case. mans death days after beWould that make a difference in affect his decisions in the ing punched in the face by his judgment? No, says Biebel. I Koschman case. We live Daley nephew Richard J. know Mike Toomin to be one of the in a political environment, R.J. Vanecko in a drunken best judges Ive ever served with. the judge says when asked confrontation in the Rush Toomin who formerly served about the contributions he Street area in the early as chief judge of the countys made to Alvarez. Will this morning hours of April affect things? Of course not criminal courts has been a judge 25, 2004. They also want since 1980. Running as a Republi. . . . It is what it is. an outside prosecutor to Michael P. Toomin, 73, is the presid- can, he was elected to be a circuit investigate the way the case Toomin court judge in 1984. ing judge of Cook Countys was handled by the states As a criminal courts judge in the juvenile courts. Chief Cook County attorneys office and the Chicago Criminal Courts Judge Paul Biebel 1990s, Toomin presided over highPolice Department. profile cases including the retrial Jr. gave Toomin the Koschman Alvarez is fighting the request of Chicago mob hit man Harry case after withdrawing because of for a special prosecutor. Aleman. He sentenced Aleman to Toomin who was assigned the a health issue. Biebel chose Toom100 to 300 years in prison. in after consulting with Timothy case in December has contrib-