Kim Foxx recuses herself from case against a community activist due to conflict of interest
Sound familiar? Chicago's top prosecutor has removed herself from another case.
Kim Foxx has recused herself from a case involving community activist Jedidiah Brown after selfie emerger.
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Chicago’s Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has recused herself from a case involving a community activist who fought several officers last year after photos of her taking a selfie with Jedidiah Brown caused concerns of her bias in the case.
The two also appeared in a press conference earlier this month, reports CBS Chicago. On Tuesday Chicago police officers who already have an ax to grind with Foxx over the dropped charges against Jussie Smollett, filed a motion asking to have her removed from the case. Foxx also had recused herself from the Smollett case because of conflicts.
—Kim Foxx text messages about Jussie Smollett charges revealed—
#BREAKING: Representatives of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office agree to recuse themselves from Chicago community activist Jedediah Brown’s case. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/xXzqUIMUXR
— Eric Cox (@EricCoxTV) April 23, 2019
At the behest of Foxx’s office, a special prosecutor was requested to handle Brown’s misdemeanor case. A judge will appoint counsel to take over, it was decided Tuesday morning at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
“When you’re taking pictures with the prosecutor while you have a case pending, that appearance is of impropriety calls out for removal of that prosecutor,” said the officers’ attorney, James McKay. “If a prosecutor has a relationship – whether it’s a working relationship, a political relationship, a personal relationship – he or she should remove themselves from that case so it appears to be fair and impartial for both sides.”
According to Assistant State’s Attorney, Jeff Allen, Foxx was unaware when she took the pic that there was an upcoming criminal case against Brown. McKay, however, said if she didn’t know, she should have.
—Police investigate killing of beloved teen gunned down in his DC home in front of stepfather—
Mckay also said there’s a major concern because Brown was front and center at a Rainbow/PUSH coalition event where Foxx defended dropping criminal charges against Smollett.
“It compromised [the officers’] confidence in the criminal justice system to say the least. This came to fruition as a result of that press conference, and right now they’re thankful that at least now they have an opportunity for fairness at the trial,” McKay said.
Brown faces several charges including resisting arrest, obstructing traffic, and two counts of misdemeanor battery to a peace officer, the outlet reports. Last year, he got into an altercation with police during protests for the shooting of South Shore barber Harith Augustus in July 2018.
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