A Cook County judge who was recently in the news for ordering men in contempt of court for wearing saggy pants was reassigned Wednesday because her rulings “may have resulted in possible threat of injury to the public.”
Judge Gloria Chevere was removed from her assignment as a judge in the criminal court at 5555 W. Grand, where she heard cases involving misdemeanor charges and ordinance violations.
Chevere will be moved to a post in which she will hear civil matters. She also was assigned to the Illinois Supreme Court’s peer mentoring program.
Chief Cook County Judge Timothy Evans announced the action against Chevere, saying he and a committee of judges who preside over Cook County’s courthouses made the decision.
On Monday, the committee reviewed allegations that Chevere “failed to follow appropriate procedures prior to finding litigants in direct criminal contempt of court.” The judges have found her rulings “may have resulted in possible threat of injury to the public and to the orderly administration of justice,” Evans said.
Reached by the Chicago Sun-Times about her reassignment, Chevere declined to comment, saying, “You need to ask Judge Evans about that.”
Evans, who made the announcement in a prepared statement, did not provide details about the allegations against the judge.
But Channel 9 and Northwestern University’s Medill Watchdog posted a story last week reporting that Chevere had issued contempt of court rulings 30 times over a four-year period, more than any other judge. In eight cases, she sent men to jail for contempt of court for wearing saggy pants, according to the report.
It’s not the first time the judge has come under scrutiny from the media and watchdog groups.
In 2012, the Judicial Performance Commission of Cook County found she was reported to have “significant difficulties in the areas of diligence and temperament.”
In 2010, she was caught by the Better Government Association and WFLD-Channel 32 sunbathing in her backyard in the middle of the workday. The Judicial Performance Commission suggested that might be typical of her work ethic.
Bar associations urged voters not to re-elect Chevere in 2012, but she was retained with more than 63 percent of the vote, records show. Her term expires in 2018.
A graduate of the John Marshall Law School, she was originally elected judge in 2006.
Chevere has worked as an attorney for the Chicago Transit Authority, as a prosecutor and hearing officer for the Illinois Secretary of State and as a hearing officer for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, according to the Judicial Performance Commission, a nonpartisan watchdog group.
