🤝 How Chicago became 'Clout City'

After 24 Years, A New Cook County Circuit Chief Judge

Judge Charles Beach beat out incumbent chief judge Timothy Evans for the position late Wednesday. Evans was the first African American in the role and held office for eight terms. Beach, on the bench since 2017, won about 57% of the vote of his fellow judges. [Sun-Times]

Operation Midway Blitz and Mexican Independence Day

The Department of Homeland Security’s “Operation Midway Blitz” aims to ramp up immigration raids across Illinois. On today’s podcast, WTTW’s Joanna Hernandez talks about the timing of the campaign. Injustice Watch reporter Kelly Garcia also joins to discuss her investigation into the head of Cook County’s juvenile detention center. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

• Meanwhile: Few new immigration arrests have been confirmed. [Block Club]

$90 Million Settlement For Watts Lawsuits

The city announced a $90 million, taxpayer-funded “global settlement” to resolve almost 200 wrongful conviction lawsuits tied to Ronald Watts, a disgraced Chicago police sergeant who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes. The settlement has been accepted by all plaintiffs and will be presented to City Council for approval. [WTTW]

This Week’s Must-Read

The term “clout” was coined in Chicago to describe those with power in machine politics. Historian Dominic A. Pacyga’s new book “Clout City” charts the rise and fall of said machine. These are five major takeaways. [Chicago magazine]

So, the National Guard didn’t come. But there were still lots of other big headlines this week. Were you paying attention?

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