Judge who let clerk hear cases has Alzheimer’s: judicial board

A Cook County judge was suffering from “memory loss” when she allowed a now-suspended law clerk to wear her judicial robes and hear several traffic cases in the Markham courthouse earlier this year, a state board says.

Circuit Judge Valarie E. Turner has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and is “mentally unable to perform her duties,” according to a complaint filed Thursday by the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board.

Turner allowed law clerk Rhonda Crawford to take her seat behind the bench and rule on several traffic cases last August after introducing her to a prosecutor as “Judge Crawford,” the board contends.

“We’re going to switch judges,” Turner allegedly said during an afternoon court call, before standing up and giving her judicial robe to Crawford.

Turner could not be reached for comment Friday. Her lawyer, Gino DiVito, said Turner does have Alzheimer’s, but “has done nothing that would justify any sanction that could be imposed by the Commission.”

“In essence, the Judicial Inquiry Board has charged her only with having Alzheimer’s disease,” DiVito said in an email Friday afternoon. “This sets a terrible precedent for any judge who, like Ms. Turner, has an illness that she did not cause and cannot control.”

DiVito added that Turner has taken a leave of absence and is currently applying for disability status. She has “already effectively retired as a judge,” he said.

The judicial board is asking the Illinois Courts Commission to take “appropriate” action.

The commission has the authority to remove a judge from office, force a judge’s retirement or order a suspension with or without pay if the jurist is physically or mentally unable to do the job.

Crawford, 45, who was later charged with felony official misconduct and misdemeanor false impersonation, ran for a 1st judicial sub-circuit vacancy in the November election. She won but is legally barred from taking the oath of office due to her suspended law license. She has pleaded not guilty.

Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Tim Evans fired her from her county job after the incident at the Markham courthouse.

Judge Valarie Turner complaint by The Watchdogs on Scribd