On November 6th, 2018,
We Dumped Judge Matt Coghlan
The Coalition to Dump Matt Coghlan is network of organizations and individuals pushing to unseat the Cook County Circuit Judge in Chicago, Illinois. This November we made history. It has been 28 years since the last time a judge was voted off the bench in Cook County. Since 1990, judges have coasted to election whether they are truly unbiased or even competent. Judges have an incredible amount of power over our lives. They can jail people pre-trial, set sentences, rule in child custody, power of attorney, and landlord-tenant cases. They also have the power to enact meaningful criminal justice reform such as the elimination of money bail which unfairly targets low income defendants. While many of the judges on the ballot are problematic, the Coalition targeted Judge Matthew Coghlan because of his long history of corruption and biased sentencing. He was unfit to sit on the bench and, on November 6th, Chicago now, made history and VOTED NO on Judge Matthew Coghlan.
Before the vote, it had come to light that former State’s Attorney and former Judge Matthew Coghlan participated in the framing of two innocent men, Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez. Coghlan helped coerce a witness then arranged payments of cash, drugs, and illegal conjugal visits. When confronted with this information, Judge Coghlan attempted to deny involvement but was caught in a lie by Sun-Times reporters. Wrongful convictions have cost Illinois hundreds of millions of dollars and we must hold those responsible accountable. As a judge, Coghlan continued to target the vulnerable and shield the powerful. Coghlan sentenced a police officer to only one year’s probation for smashing a woman’s head into a bench. The impact had such force that she needed facial reconstructive surgery, Coghlan could have given him up to 5 years in prison. Shortly after, Coghlan sentenced a Black man with prison time for possession of a marijuana joint on his front porch because he happened to live within 1000 feet of a school. These two decisions, coming within a month of one another show just how much power and discretion judges have. And Coghlan was not using that power to dole out true justice.
This is the year we held them accountable. Join us in telling Cook County judges that this kind of bias has no place in our judicial system as we continue to fight for true justice.
Before the vote, it had come to light that former State’s Attorney and former Judge Matthew Coghlan participated in the framing of two innocent men, Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez. Coghlan helped coerce a witness then arranged payments of cash, drugs, and illegal conjugal visits. When confronted with this information, Judge Coghlan attempted to deny involvement but was caught in a lie by Sun-Times reporters. Wrongful convictions have cost Illinois hundreds of millions of dollars and we must hold those responsible accountable. As a judge, Coghlan continued to target the vulnerable and shield the powerful. Coghlan sentenced a police officer to only one year’s probation for smashing a woman’s head into a bench. The impact had such force that she needed facial reconstructive surgery, Coghlan could have given him up to 5 years in prison. Shortly after, Coghlan sentenced a Black man with prison time for possession of a marijuana joint on his front porch because he happened to live within 1000 feet of a school. These two decisions, coming within a month of one another show just how much power and discretion judges have. And Coghlan was not using that power to dole out true justice.
This is the year we held them accountable. Join us in telling Cook County judges that this kind of bias has no place in our judicial system as we continue to fight for true justice.
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Interviewees: Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez
Written and Directed by Caullen Hudson Produced by Caullen Hudson and David A. Moran Judicial Accountability PAC Associates Ben Carbery and Christina Pillsbury |
Cinematography by Dakota Sillyman
Drone Photography by Ben Jassin Edited by Thomas P. Clune Music by Thomas P. Clune and Epidemic Sound Production Sound by David A. Moran |
Related Podcast Episode
BrownTown kicks back with Tia Haywood and Jesús Vargas of the Haywood Monte Law Offices (within the West Side Justice Center) to discuss the role of the legal system, public opinion, and grassroots activism in holding the criminal justice system accountable while working within its very framework. The gang examines recent Chicago cases, voting out former Judge Matt Coghlan, and breaks down how narratives and precedents can shape the path for future equity, for better or for worse. Originally recorded February 18, 2019.
