Judge Arrested for Shoving Deputy

Judge arrested for shoving deputy
The Chicago Tribune by John Byrne and Steve Schmadeke  -  March 11, 2012
Incident comes day after alleged courtroom tirade  -  A Cook County judge was free Saturday following her arrest for allegedly shoving a sheriff's deputy and tossing a set of keys toward another at a security checkpoint in the Daley Center on Friday.

Judge Cynthia Brim — who presides in the county courthouse in Markham — approached deputies about 4:45 p.m. and, without identifying herself, asked if they had found any keys, according to Sheriff's Office spokesman Frank Bilecki.  Deputies showed her three sets of keys that had been left at the checkpoint and Brim claimed a set and walked away, Bilecki said.  About 10 minutes later, the judge returned and, without explanation, tossed the keys toward one deputy and shoved another in the chest with both hands, according to Bilecki.  The deputies handcuffed Brim, placed her under arrest and took her to the detention area in the Daley Center, which is a Cook County Circuit Court complex. She was charged with misdemeanor battery and released on bail Friday evening, Bilecki said.  Brim's arrest followed a Thursday incident in which she apparently went on an extended tirade while on the bench in a Markham courtroom.  Brim, a "floating judge" who fills in for other judges, was hearing traffic cases from South Holland when she began behaving erratically, according to sources.  Markham Acting Presiding Judge Brian Flaherty eventually asked Brim to leave the courtroom and she complied, sources said. Because it happened in traffic court, there was no recording or transcript made of what Brim said.  Chief Judge Timothy Evans' office later released a statement saying he was looking into the Thursday incident.  In May 2010, Brim was one of four judges Evans reassigned and paired with mentor judges because their judicial conduct had been questioned.  The move came after a Fox Chicago News/Better Government Association investigation showed some Cook County judges were leaving court earlier than they were supposed to.  Evans could not be reached Saturday to comment on Brim's arrest.  In 2006, the last time Brim was up for retention, she was one of three judges out of 71 on the ballot that the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Council of Lawyers agreed should not be retained.  jebyrne@tribune.com  -  sschmadeke@tribune.com