Cook County Circuit Court Judge Previously Deemed 'Legally Insane,' Reelected

[Newmexican]

The lunatics and criminals are running the asylum??

Cynthia Brim, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Previously Deemed 'Legally Insane,' Reelected

Posted: 11/07/2012 4:17 pm EST Updated: 11/07/2012 6:16 pm EST


Cook County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Brim was arrested in March for allegedly assaulting a deputy sheriff.



A Cook County Circuit Court judge was handily reelected Tuesday a matter of hours before she was due to appear in court for allegedly assaulting a deputy sheriff this spring, an attack her attorney previously blamed on the fact that the judge was "legally insane" at the time.

Judge Cynthia Brim appeared in court Wednesday and told the Chicago Tribuneshe was "just happy the people voted me back in" after her status hearing.

Brim, 54, received slightly more than 60 percent of yes votes required for retention in the Tuesday election, according to the Chicago Sun-Times -- despite allegedly pushing a deputy sheriff and throwing keys near a Daley Center security checkpoint in March.

One day prior to that attack, she allegedly "launched into a tirade" that lasted 45 minutes during a traffic court call and was forced to leave the courtroom.

Brim has pleaded not guilty to the charge and has been suspended since her arrest this spring. She has refused to resign.

Brim's attorney James Montgomery said Wednesday that his client has bipolar disorder, a condition she has controlled with medication, but that at the time of the attack she was "legally insane," the Tribune reports.

The Chicago Bar Association previously recommended that voters reject her from the bench and ten of 11 bar associations have given her negative ratings, though the Democratic Party has continued to back her. Nevertheless, Brim will keep her $182,000-a-year post, pending the conclusion of an investigation by the judicial inquiry board.
In 22 years, a sitting circuit court judge in Cook County has lost reelection only once.

Cynthia Brim, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Previously Deemed 'Legally Insane,' Reelected

[Newmexican]

Brian Banks Results: Democratic Candidate Elected To Michigan House In 1st District

Posted: 11/07/2012 9:08 am





Brian Banks, an eight-time convicted felon, emerged victorious at the polls Tuesday in the race for Michigan's new 1st district state House seat, winning 68 percent of the vote with 88 percent of districts reporting.

The Democrat was opposed by Republican Dan Schulte, a Grosse Pointe Shores councilman. Libertarian Zachary Zichi, 19, had filed to run for the office in late September, but withdrew after finding out he was too young to run for office, Patch reports. Banks will represent parts of Detroit, Harper Woods, Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores.

The new state Rep. was convicted eight times for felonies involving bad checks and credit card fraud from 1998 to 2004.

"My felonies are just that, my past," he told The Huffington Post in September. "Since then I've gotten a bachelor's, a master's, a law degree and am working on my Ph.D. I look forward to fighting and working on making our community a cleaner, stronger and safer commmunity."

However, Banks' days of writing bad checks may not be as far behind him as he claims. Court records indicate that $3,751 judgment was imposed on him last week for not paying rent at a Harper Woods residence and a woman had him evicted from another property, also in Harper Woods, the week before that after repeatedly taking him to court for writing bad checks and not paying rent. If he intentionally wrote a bad check for more than $500, Banks could be charged with a two-year felony under the Michigan Penal Code.

Bill Ballenger, editor of the newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, previously told The Huffington Post that Bank's background was unlikely to have an impact on the race because of the district's solid Democratic leanings.
"These stories came out in the primary," he said. "I mean if someone was going to beat him, it should have been out in the Democratic primary in August, and yet he won."

Brian Banks Results: Democratic Candidate Elected To Michigan House In 1st District