Politics & Government
State Supreme Court Suspends Law License of Ex-Law Clerk Who Posed as Judge
UPDATED: The high court also ruled that Rhonda Crawford cannot take the bench if she's elected as judge Nov. 8.
CHICAGO, IL — The Illinois Supreme Court has suspended the law license of the fired clerk accused of impersonating a judge over the summer, according to the Chicago Tribune. The court also ruled Monday that Rhonda Crawford could not take the bench if she's elected Nov. 8 to the open Cook County judicial seat she's running for, the report added.
The high court's rulings stem from a complaint filed by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission based on allegations she wrongly posed as a judge in August. Last week, Crawford requested a two-week extension to address the complaint, but the Supreme Court also denied that request Monday, the Tribune reports.
Crawford is accused of presiding over three minor traffic cases Aug. 11 in Judge Valerie Turner's courtroom, while under the real judge's supervision. She has maintained that Turner encouraged her to sit on the bench at the time and that she followed the real judge's instructions the entire time.
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RELATED: 'I Did Not Decide Any Cases,' Ex-Law Clerk Who Posed as Judge Says
Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Crawford — who was fired from her law clerk post for Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans after allegations of the incident surfaced — on felony official misconduct and false impersonation charges. She is free on $10,000 bail.
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Despite the indictment, Crawford is still on the ballot for the open judge seat in the 1st Judicial Subcircuit in November. She faces Cook County Circuit Judge Maryam Ahmad, a write-in candidate who threw her hat into the ring after the alleged summer incident.
RELATED: Ex-Law Clerk Who Posed as Judge Pleads Not Guilty at Hearing
The high court's decision, however, means that even if Crawford is elected, she would not be allowed to serve as judge, the Tribune reports. Ahmad also has asked the Supreme Court to disqualify any votes Crawford receives in the upcoming election, the report added.
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