Bar gives one judge thumbs down rating
Dump Circuit Court jurist, voters urged

By Michael Higgins
Tribune Staff Reporter
Published October 6, 2006

Ten bar associations on Thursday urged voters to expel Cook County Judge Robert J. Kowalski from the bench in this fall's elections, with one of the groups alleging that the judge has made offensive remarks in court.

Kowalski, who hears criminal cases in the Maywood branch of Cook County Circuit Court, is reported to have good legal ability, but he draws complaints for being short-tempered, according to the Chicago Council of Lawyers, one of the 10 groups.

"It is reported that he has made offensive remarks in open court based on gender and national origin--about litigants, court employees and other judges," the council said in a report. "There are many reported incidents in which Judge Kowalski is accused of unprofessional behavior while in the courtroom."

Kowalski, 59, who was appointed associate judge in 1988 and elected as circuit judge in 1994, could not be reached Thursday for comment. Officials at the council would not elaborate on the incidents.

The 10 groups make up the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening, which released recommendations Thursday on 70 judges who are running in retention elections this fall.

The judges, all of whom won standard elections to obtain their seats, have no direct opposition. But they need 60 percent of the vote to retain their seats.

As part of the alliance's review process, judges submit written applications, and volunteer lawyers interview them and talk to attorneys familiar with the judge's work.

Of the 10 groups, only the Chicago Council of Lawyers provides reasons for its conclusions. The other groups consider the reasons confidential.

However, Mario Utreras, president of Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, did say Thursday that his group opposed Kowalski because Kowalski did not fully participate in the alliance's review process, not because it had drawn any negative conclusions about him.

Historically, even judges who have been roundly rebuffed by the bar groups have almost always won retention, though some recent elections have been close, said Lonny Ben Ogus, an alliance co-chair.

The alliance has discussed ways to give its evaluations more impact, including reducing the various ratings to a single, consensus rating, said Joseph Bisceglia, president-elect of the Illinois State Bar Association, which is a member of the alliance.

No other judge running for retention fared as poorly as Kowalski.

But five of the 10 groups opposed retention for Judge Cynthia Brim, of the court's Bridgeview branch. The council's report said she demonstrated "a lack of a good grasp of the law."

Brim said Thursday that she was disappointed but thought the criticism was inaccurate. Brim said that, by her own count, her decisions had been appealed only eight times, and she had not been reversed.

Brim said that in resolving cases, she sometimes overruled the wishes of lawyers and did what she thought was right. "Sometimes, the truth may be a little controversial," Brim said.

The other alliance members are: Asian-American Bar Association, Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago, Cook County Bar Association, Decalogue Society of Lawyers, Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois and Women's Bar Association of Illinois.

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