McHenry Times

In a May 31 news release, Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich) issued a statement regarding Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's decision not to seek re-election.

“The people of Cook County should feel a bit of relief given today’s news that Kim Foxx is not seeking re-election as Cook County State’s Attorney,” he wrote on his Senate web page. “Over the years, her skewed philosophy of the criminal justice system has been nothing more than a slap in the face to victims and further endangered residents, businesses and visitors of Chicagoland.

"Foxx has been an advocate for criminals instead of a prosecutor defending victims and ensuring public safety," McConchie said. "Now is the time to ensure that the next prosecutor is committed to the rule of law and will hold criminals accountable. We need a state’s attorney who will ensure the safety and well-being of both Chicago and all of Cook County.”

In April, Foxx announced she would not seek re-election to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She announced this decision at the City Club of Chicago. According to ABC7, she said, “I leave now with my head held high and my heart full, knowing that better days are ahead.”

Foxx took office on Dec. 1, 2016. In 2016. She defeated Christopher Pfannkuche, with 72.06% of the vote. Foxx defeated candidates Patrick W. O’Brien and Brian Dennehy during the November 2020 general election. She won 54.2% of the vote.

Foxx is the first African American woman to hold her position.

Her tenure as State’s Attorney for Cook County has not been without controversy. In 2021, a special prosecutor’s investigation into how Foxx and her office handled the initial prosecution of actor and singer Jussie Smollett’s criminal case. Smollett claimed to be a victim of an attack outside his Chicago apartment, but that turned out to be staged. Smollett was later charged with six counts of disorderly conduct and found guilty on five of those charges. Special Prosecutor Dan K. Webb found that there were “substantial abuses of discretion and operational failures by the [Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO)] in prosecuting and resolving the initial Smollett case.” Another finding in the report was that “There were media reports that contained unauthorized leaks of police investigative information by CPD personnel that were in violation of the CPD’s written policies.”

In March 2022, Foxx again found herself on the defense as crime in Chicago continued a 2-year surge. In its reporting on the situation, ABC7 quoted Foxx as saying “We have approved 85 percent of the adult felonies that were presented to us by police," Foxx said. The news channel also reported that “Foxx says her office has a 75 percent conviction rate. But some of her critics say she should take responsibility for her role in what is perceived as a revolving door of criminals in and out of the courthouse.”

“The 5.2 million residents of Cook County deserve a better system, one that is driven not by a ‘win at any cost’ mentality, but by a persistent quest for justice, in whatever form that takes in a particular case,” Foxx wrote on her campaign website. “This quest for justice is how we will earn the community’s trust and build bridges to improve public safety. And while it will take long, hard work, I believe that a reformed criminal justice system that is more responsive to the people and more responsible in the pursuit of justice is a win-win for us all.”