Crime & Law
'It Has Been an Honor to Serve the People of Cook County': Top Prosecutor Kim Foxx Reflects on Highlights as Her Term Comes to a Close
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Jan. 31, 2023. (WTTW News)
As her term as state’s attorney draws to a close, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx reflected on the nearly 250 wrongful convictions overturned and more than 15,000 cannabis-related convictions expunged under her leadership during her time in office.
Foxx’s administration on Saturday published its final report and an eight-year data summary to highlight the “comprehensive overview of the substantial reforms and impacts achieved” during her tenure as Cook County’s top prosecutor.
She said those new reports not only “highlight our achievements but also set the stage for continued advancement of fair and just prosecutorial practices.”
“Reflecting on the past eight years, I am immensely proud of the hard work and dedication of our team who have tirelessly worked to enhance the scales of justice and equity in Cook County,” she said in a statement. “It has been an honor to serve the people of Cook County, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have led such meaningful changes in our community.”
Among the highlights Foxx’s office cited were the wrongful convictions overturned, cannabis convictions expunged, the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act and a massive expansion in data transparency surrounding the cases her office handles.
Earlier this month, Foxx told WTTW News that she hadn’t expected her tenure to be “as rocky a ride as it was,” but that she’s “incredibly proud of what we’ve done.”
Days before she was set to leave office, the most highly controversial case Foxx dealt with — the prosecution of actor Jussie Smollett for allegedly plotting a fake hate crime against himself — popped back into the headlines as Illinois’ Supreme Court overturned the former “Empire” star’s convictions.
Foxx had told WTTW News she believes the media will always connect her and the Smollett case, but that her biggest regret about that “is the light that it’s shown on our office that eclipsed the work that they do every single day.”
Foxx did not run for re-election in this year’s race. She will be succeeded by Eileen O’Neill Burke, a Democrat who is set to be officially sworn into office Monday.
