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Candidate barred from bench wins judge election in Illinois

Candidate barred from bench wins judge election in Illinois | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2016, file photo, attorney Rhonda Crawford stands alongside her attorney Victor Henderson in Chicago, as she addresses allegations that she impersonated a judge. Crawford, a former law clerk who was fired for impersonating a judge, now is running to become one, and critics say her expected victory is a product of Illinois' system for filling judicial vacancies. (Max Herman/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)
Original Publication Date: November 8, 2016 11:43PM
Publication Updated: April 27, 2025 7:31AM

CHICAGO – A law clerk who faces charges of impersonating a judge has been elected as a judge in the Chicago area even though she’s been barred from taking the office.

Rhonda Crawford had been expected to win Tuesday’s election over a write-in opponent, as she was the only name listed on the ballot. The 45-year-old can’t be sworn in to the $180,000-a-year job unless she’s cleared of wrongdoing.

The former nurse was fired from her courthouse job and criminally charged for donning a black robe and presiding over traffic cases that should’ve been heard by a real judge. The Illinois Supreme Court temporarily suspended her law license.

Crawford has said she’d been shadowing judges, observing how they work, when Judge Valarie Turner “encouraged” her to put on the robe and preside.

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