In August 2026, when a Cook County judge denied the State’s Attorney’s motion to detain a driver who fatally struck a young lady and instead placed him on electronic monitoring, Illinois Comptroller and Chicago mayoral candidate Susana Mendoza did not hesitate to take a page from Trump’s playbook by criticizing the judge for his decision. Mendoza put on full display her reflexive tendency to attack the Pretrial Fairness Act without any critical thought or knowledge of the full facts.

The fact is that the person accused of causing this admittedly heartbreaking death did not have a history of felony convictions, but only a handful of traffic violations, the most recent being a failure to wear a seatbelt in 2021. His pretrial risk assessment scores in both risk of new criminal activity and failure to appear were “1”s, the lowest possible. Under the Illinois Constitution, the prosecution bears the burden of proving that someone poses a danger that cannot be mitigated by any conditions of pretrial release. The judge, who heard the evidence and arguments presented by both sides, determined that the man could be safely released back to the community under electronic monitoring, which is a very restrictive condition. When elected officials like Mendoza and Alderman Lopez, whose tweet she reposted, disparage a judge for a decision with which they do not agree, they undermine judicial independence.

It is also concerning that Lopez’s initial tweet included a post by CWB Chicago, a website  focused on covering crime through sensationalist stories that seem calculated to give the impression that crime is higher than ever (despite the fact it is at historic lows). In the post about the detention decision in this case, the lede says “Cook County’s most forgiving judge today refused to keep him in jail—but did order him not to drink too much.” The author then goes on to claim that this specific judge denies more petitions for pretrial detention than some of his peers. 

This “reporting,” complete with a photo of the judge, is clearly intended to intimidate not just this judge, but also any others who might fear that they will be subject to CWB’s biased coverage. Judges across the country, including U.S. Supreme Court Justices, are increasingly facing serious threats to their and their families’ safety solely because of their decisions in court. In Illinois, the Chief Judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit issued a stern statement condemning inflammatory rhetoric by an elected official about a judge’s decision to release an accused person from custody that led to direct threats against the judge.

In this environment, it is irresponsible and dangerous for elected officials to attack judges simply because they disagree with their rulings. This is even more concerning when the attacks are aimed not only at individual judges but also at the Illinois Constitution. Mendoza, Lopez, and other elected officials should focus on facts, not promote sensationalist fear-mongering reports from dubious, trolling “reporters.”