Chicago Judge Who Asked About Mystery Cases in Federal Court Resigns, Complains of 'Persecution'
A veteran Chicago judge on medical leave who made headlines by twice appearing in federal court recently and seeking information about cases against her that apparently may not exist has given up her job.
In a one-sentence letter to the Illinois Supreme Court last Friday, Judge Susan McDunn, 57, resigned effective the same day, a court spokesman told the Chicago Tribune.
McDunn, who had been on the state circuit court bench for 20 years, confirmed that she had stepped down, when reached at her home by a reporter for the newspaper, and talked of “persecution” and “a hostile work environment.”.
In an Oct. 23 visit to federal court in Chicago, McDunn complained of being persecuted by powerful people and said, at one point, according to a transcript, “They have invaded my life and locked me out of my life,” the newspaper recounts.
The Chicago Sun-Times also has a story.
It says McDunn told the newspaper she gave up her $182,000-a-year job because of the “cruel and unwarranted persecution I’ve been dealing with for years” on the job.
“This is too much,” she said. “It’s been constant for 20 years. … It’s too painful for me to be at the courthouse because that’s where most of the persecution arises from.”
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Chicago Judge Seeking Info re Mystery Federal Cases Filed Against Her Is On Leave, Officials Say”
Chicago Sun-Times (news and analysis): “Dump incompetent judges”
