Illinois Supreme Court selects chief justice married to indicted Chicago Alderman at center of huge federal probe into political corruption

There is jaw-dropping indifference to the appearance of corruption in Springfield, Illinois. It's hard to figure out what was on the minds of the justices of the Illinois Supreme Court when they chose Anne Burke to be chief justice for the next three years. Illinois voters elect their supreme court justices to ten-year terms on partisan ballots. Once elected, justices face a yes-or-no vote every ten years, so maybe they feel so secure in their state's deep blue status that they can flaunt the appearance of corruption with no consequences. But for anyone concerned about the legitimacy the court enjoys in the public mind, it is an odd choice of leadership. Illinois Policy explains why:

As Chicago's longest serving alderman faces prison time, his spouse will become the state's most powerful judge.

The state's high court justices on Sept. 10 elected Justice Anne Burke to chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, succeeding former Chief Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier. (snip)

Burke's rise to chief justice comes while her husband, 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke, faces a 14-count indictment on federal corruption charges. In January, federal prosecutors accused the alderman of attempting to extort the owners of a Burger King franchise in his ward by withholding a remodeling permit in order to pressure them to hire his private law firm to handle their property tax

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