Embattled Illinois prosecutor announces bid for re-election

Cook County prosecutor Kim Foxx announced she would be seeking another term despite the criticism her office faced in the wake of the Jussie Smollett scandal

Associated Press

Nov 19, 2019

Cook County Prosecutor Kim Foxx (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford File)

CHICAGO (AP) — The top prosecutor in Cook County, Illinois, who was harshly criticized when her office suddenly dropped charges against actor Jussie Smollett, says she’s running for re-election.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx says in a Tuesday news release that she hopes to continue reforming the criminal justice system in the county including Chicago that she began implementing when she was elected in 2016.

The bid by Foxx, the first Black woman to head the office, comes after a judge appointed a special prosecutor to examine why felony counts against the actor who had been charged with staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself last January were dropped. Foxx had recused herself after she had conversations with the actor’s family.

Foxx’s challengers include a former judge and two former prosecutors.