Judge Who Donated to Hastert's Campaign

[murielm99]

Can Stay on Case.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-who-gave-dennis-hasterts-campaign-can-stay-case-n373886

snip--

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's federal hush money case will go forward with a judge who donated to his campaign fund years ago.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys were given a chance to ask that U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin be disqualified because of the contributions, but in papers filed in Chicago Federal Court on Thursday, both sides said they are fine with him staying.

snip--

This judge is the brother of Jim Durkin, who is the Republican minority leader in the Illinois house. Jim Durkin ran against Durbin for Senate in 2002. Jim Durkin was Romney's campaign manager here as well.

I know Springfield is small and everyone knows each other. But this is a Federal case. I am not sure how I feel about this.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. That should result in an automatic recuse...

...but not in our completely corrupted justice system.

[peacebird]

2. Denny is still well connected, hence protected I imagine.

[COLGATE4]

3. One of the liberal commentators on MSNBC

(Rachel, I think) made clear that both Prosecutors AND Defense Attorneys in the Hastert case will be very unlikely to challenge Durkin, who has a stellar reputation as a squeaky-clean, by the book trial judge. The fact that he contributed $2000 to Hastert's campaign way back when isn't an automatic disqualifier. There won't be any motion for him to recuse himself.

[murielm99]

4. That is why I was not sure how I felt.

I know how it works here. There are some very squeaky-clean and very capable people in Illinois who have family and party connections with others who are not so clean. That is just how it is in Illinois. Families, on both sides of the aisle, run everything.

There is another judge who is a Fawell. She had to preside over a corruption case here. She was actually the best person to do it, even though some members of her family are notorious. Scott Fawell, Ryan's chief of staff, was in jail until he ratted out Ryan. I grew up in West Chicago, the Fawell family's stomping ground. I know Scott. He was in my brother's graduating class. My dad used to argue with Scott's mother all the time. He would accuse her to her face of being a corrupt politician. Most of the Fawells are crooks. But this is Illinois.

Look at the Madigans. Most of the Democrats I know gripe about Mike Madigan all the time. But we need him where he is. I would hate to see the power vacuum he would leave filled by an Illinois repubbie. And Lisa, his daughter, is one of the best attorneys general in the country.

We have an interesting and complicated state.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. In fact, he offered, and gave both side the choice.

He acted quite properly here. Both sides recognize that he is a fine addition to the bench, and that both sides could do far worse.

[mucifer]

6. The judge might be angry and bitter.

Who knows, maybe he has kids or grandkids on a wrestling team.

[murielm99]

7. I am hearing only positive things about the judge.

Now they are asking that some of the evidence be kept confidential:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/12/us-usa-crime-hastert-idUSKBN0OS2DU20150612

Let's see how things work out. This could be a slow process. The material is sensitive to others, not just Hastert. Let's see how it works out. But even my fellow Democrats in Illinois think this judge is a fair person.