When I ran for office, I always wanted to be the first to mail a campaign piece.
Now Judge James Cowlin has done just that.
The mailing you see below arrived today.
Judge Cowlin argues from authority by posing in his judicial robes on this first direct mail piece.
The address side of the mailing feature a photo of his family, his background, and civic involvement, which includes nine years as a Republican Precinct Committeeman.
When did Cowlin ever coach in the Crystal Lake Soccer Federation?
He hardly showed up to see his own kid play.
I know, because I was the coach.
This is supposed to be a learned judge?
Law requires a disclaimer on the election material.
Paid for by —–etc.
This is what happens when a guy gets the gig because his father and grandfather were judges, not on qualifications.
Doesn’t the Supreme Court say that judges cannot campaign in their robes??
He’s rather incompetent on many fronts and insults people on a regular basis.
Don’t vote for this mook if you value private property.
He’s ever so PC.
He was a suck up to the local George Ryan Culture of Corruption Combine.
I am not sure if he can or can not print a piece with him in a judges robe.
I think you are able to.
But for a person running for judge doesn’t even know the laws that you have to put on a disclaimer on the bottom of a election piece!
That is unacceptable coming from a so called judge!
It is one thing for someone new to the whole process of running a campaign, doesn’t know protocol, rules and regulations but he is a judge!
Unreal!
Wonder what would happen if someone else had done it?
Hmmmmmm and which law firms are involved in the kickbacks and bribes?
Those law firms are a part of the real deals!
This is heavy on baseless personal attacks.
Can you name cases, criminal or civil, jury or bench, that Mr Tsilimigras took to trial, as a private lawyer or public employee?
Judge Cowlin was appointed from a strong field of candidates in 2008, and has a solid record as a judge. As a private lawyer, he handled civil and criminal cases.
He had a lot of courtroom experience before taking the bench.
Yes, his father was a judge.
You hold that against him?
Why would you not think growing up in a lawyer’s household would better prepare him for a career as lawyer and judge?
Martin – you are barking up the wrong tree.
Demetri was a prosecutor in Kane County and Western Michigan.
He has been involved in more trials than Cowlin has before he was appointed.
Demetri has MORE experience.
Name the biggest 5 of the cases he took to trial as lead lawyer in Kane or McHenry County.
Defendant names, as in “People v. John Doe.”
I will look them up and report back to this blog.
Mr Tsilimigras loses major points by showing a picture of himself smiling with Barb Wheeler on his web page.
People do judge you by the company you keep.
Where he may have practiced law and tried or not tried cases is not important unless you can name cases HE has prosectued in MCHENRY County, where he was Lou’s hand picked man in the office for criminal cases.
He’s also Lou’s hand picked replacement for when Lou retires.
I know that he has run against other LOCAL lawyers to become associate an judge in McHenry County, but was NOT chosen by the other judges, I BELIEVE, twice in the past.
One can assume that he is a good lawyer; I doubt Lou would hire someone who isn’t.
Check with other judges currently sitting on the bench, and several retired judges who remain in the county and ask their opinions.
JUDGE Cowlin is currently in misdemeanor jury trial courtroom 301 and doing trials.
He is a fine man, a good judge, and MORE than qualified to STAY on the bench.
One would think that Demetri is trying to unseat a current judge, as he feels that is the only way he’ll attain the bench.
Just as fair a comment as some I’ve seen in above posts about Judge Cowlin.
Make INFORMED opinions, not spout crap about someone you may not know.
TRY and make THIS election about qualifications and ability, and the respect or lack of respect, of their peers.
Anyone voting in this primary should educate themselves on the Illinois Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act, and how it would effect the pension that Mr Tsilimigras would receive if he is elected judge.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111102/news/711029946/
Martin – check out Demetri’s appellate cases while you are at it.
How many did Cowlin do.
AZ – the guy who loved Zinke!!!!
How can anyone vote for someone to be a judge when they find out that Mr. Cowlin either does not know, or does not care about following the Illinois State Board of Elections Campaign Disclosure requirement.
This requirement is established by law and frankly, it is ridiculous for someone to run for judge and yet not follow the law.
A judge’s behavior and actions, at all times must be impeccable.
This level of sloppiness, or arrogance–one or the other, should cause voters to reconsider their support for a judge who is not maintaining the appropriate level of conduct.
Demetri Tsilimigras is the only sensible choice.
I realize that Mr. Cowlin most likely did not install one of his four feet by four feet signs.
However, it is his campaign and I will not vote for any candidate that has their signs installed in the highway rights of way.
I realize this limits my choices but it is a matter of principle.
Highway departments (state, county and township) should charge candidates for removal of signs in the rights of way.
BTW at this time I will NOT be voting for Mr. Gottemoller, Mrs. Hill, Mr. Regna or Mr. Cowlin. for this reason.
Historically, Al Jourdan and the George Ryan Culture of Corruption need one judge in the tank to send politically sensitive cases for favorable adjudication.
Given the connection between Pack, Ladd, Regna, and Zinke, just who is that candidate in this one?
I sure hope the bar association poll gets published before the election.
I’d wager that practicing lawyers in the county overwhelmingly think Cowlin is competent and that they overwhelmingly think Demetri isn’t.
By large margins for each.
Cowlin is a good judge, and Demetri has spent the last half decade in a pseudo-administrative position in the MCSAO.
Demetri rarely steps into a courtroom, and if he does, it’s to observe the young lawyers working in the office.
The “legal” work he does (if you can call it that) consists of overseeing the young lawyers who practice in the misdemeanor courtrooms.
Is there any high-level legal work on Demetri’s resume?
Has he ever tried (and won) a felony jury trial?
If so, how many?
Less than a dozen?
Less than a half-dozen?
Less than two?
He’s not a highly qualified criminal prosecutor.
What about other legal work? Has he ever briefed and argued an appeal?
If so, on what issues?
Did he win?
What’s the last high-profile conviction that Demetri served as lead prosecutor for?
Demetri’s an administrator, plain and simple.
Being an administrator in a prosecutor’s office is an entirely different skill set than is required to be a judge.
All of you Algonquin Township drones should think long and hard about what you’re doing by trying to make him Circuit Court judge.
Because of the way retention elections work, he’ll be in that position for as long as he cares to keep the job.
When it becomes apparent that he’s incompetent, it will be too late.
It is impossible to use the ballot box to unseat a full Circuit Court judge.
Don’t believe me? In 2013, Cook County voters couldn’t unseat a judge who was declared legally insane: http://www.businessinsider.com/cynthia-brim-found-not-guilty-2013-2
We’ve had drunks as serve as judges, a couple of elderly infirm who dozed off during afternoon trials, and several other less-than-we-deserved people on the bench.
But you know what?
I’ve known them all, and I can promise you that Demetri will be a less-capable judge.
I’m not saying that Demetri’s a narcoleptic drunk, but I am saying that I have more confidence in the legal ability of the narcoleptic drunks that have sat on that bench than I do in Demetri.
If Demetri succeeds in accomplishing his goals, it will be the worst thing that has ever happened to justice in the county.
Meanwhile, it is illegal according to our Constitution for anyone with a foreign accredation title to hold public office. (BAR = British Accredited Registry) [sigh]
Cowlin has a history of making bad decisions in the courtroom.
He has angered many people in our community.
According to the insiders who have witnessed Cowlin in the courtroom there is a very bad history there and one that should not be repeated.
Demetri is very competent and he will continue to pave the way for better government and he will be the best thing that ever happened to the justice system in our county.
Demetri Tsilimigras is the only sensible choice!
Do you have anything concrete, or are you just engaging in the adult version of a five year old calling someone a doodiehead?
We’re waiting.
Back up your comically vague claims about “bad decisions” and angering “many people” with something based in fact.
I find it particularly odd that a post by Cal that clearly demonstrates a failure of a sitting judge to follow the law is responded to by AZ supporter, Martin and others with an attack on Demetri.
The thought process is perverse.
Noteworthy is that another judge was charged by the Judicial Inquiry Board for allowing improper campaign advertisements.
See JIB case 90-CC-2.
Certainly, any person running for Judge and “wearing the robe” of office ought to have at a minimum avoided sending out material that did not comply with the law.
That’s the reality of this situation.
Cowlin’s ad says experience counts.
Certainly, that would be true if it educated him to make better judgements.
But here it’s clear that Judge Cowlin did not control his campaign material and certainly didn’t comply with well established requirements.
How hard is it to disclose who paid for your mailer?
I’m certain the other legal scholar Regna did that minimal act.
For those of you trying to leverage Cowlin’s non-compliance as a basis to belittle his opponent, you have a warped sense of justice and clearly lack the moral fortitude to properly assess the qualification of any candidate to serve as a judge.
I agree with Disrobed.
This judge ought to know better.
With all that experience he claims to have he should have known better and should have followed the law.
The disclosure is not on it and that’s no basis to bash Demetri.
Boethis:
You used the term “…narcoleptic drunks…” , referring to the past to judges slated by the same combine that are pushing Cowlin now.
Evidently, by your own words, you consider yourself a five year old.
I agree.
The crown of entitlement was bestowed upon the Cowlin family.
First, his majesty’s grandfather was a judge so naturally the King’s child ought to be one too.
Since the crown passed from grandfather to father it was only fitting that the crown pass to the Kings issue.
Hail Cowlin!
Long Live the King!
Hence, his appointment by rollie polie and the band of circuit boards.
Nevertheless, this is the United States of America.
We don’t pass the crown down generations.
I’m fairly sure that we got rid of that idea with King George III.
Rather, were supposed to work for things, not have them handed to us. T
he posts above from Boethius, AZ Supporter, and Martin demonstrate that they are trying to use this forum to protect the entitled.
I’d laugh if Boethius was a Judge!
Bothis: Your link to the insane judge is misleading.
According to the Judicial Inquiry Board’s web site that judge was removed as a judge because she was not mentally fit to be a judge.
Even a narcoleptic drunk judge can tell the difference between a qualified candidate and an unqualified candidate.
Just wait until the bar poll results are released.
Where he may have practiced law and tried or not tried cases is not important unless you can name cases HE has prosectued in MCHENRY County, where he was Lou’s hand picked man in the office for criminal cases.
He’s also Lou’s hand picked replacement for when Lou retires.
THIS RIGHT HERE IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO SAY NO VOTE FOR THIS GUY!…
AND YES YOU ARE WHO YOU HANG WITH!
this statement just Hung him…
I find it both amusing and distressing that the self-anointed “reformers” are trying to make one of their own into an instant pension millionaire, qualifications be damned.
It seems like the main thing they are trying to reform is who gets the patronage.
Republican politics in this county is starting to look a little bit like Cook County politics during the Washington v Vrdolyak era.
Boone County voters unseated a Circuit Court Judge.
Back in 1982, I think.
Judge Babb.
Time for Judge Cowlin to be dethroned and knocked of that pedestal! Off with his head! Hmmmmmmmm or maybe not…lol…
Let’s just make sure he doesn’t have another chance to take the bench, when the election results are in.
Sorry Judge Cowlin, we the people are keeping the gavel.
How many times has Judge Colin been admonished by the Appellate Court?
I did not attack Mt Tsilimigras. A supporter said he had experience. I asked for the names of cases he took to trial. I said I would look them up and report the cases on this blog. If he has significant experience, that will refute those who say otherwise.
One comment mentioned Judge Cowlin being admonished by the appellate court. What is the name of the case to which you refer? I’ll find that and quote it here, too.
If you make claims you cannot back up, you do not persuade. You Don’s l
The “you Don’s” is an autocorrect typo.
Please ignore.
I am not accusing Dons, mafia or otherwise, of anything.
I’d feel a lot better about Demetri Tsilimigras if he’d promise in advance not to bring his years of service with the State’s Attorney’s Office into the Judicial Retirement System if he is elected.
It appears to me that one of the main reasons that he wants this job is the huge pension that judges receive and the bizarre rules that allow newly minted judges to carry in years of service from other state jobs into the far more lucrative Judicial Retirement System.
Judge Beaderstadt was able to retire with a full pension after only eight years on the bench because of his previous service with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Tsilimigras definitely has my vote!
He seems to be honest, ethical, smart, and logical.
I can’t wait to see him serving us as a Judge!
I know many of my friends will be voting for him too.
It’s time to put an end to same old, same old, in our lovely county!