CHICAGO — People charged with serious crimes in Chicago may soon find it a little harder to get out of jail while they fight the charges. By this time next week, all three of the most lenient judges on the roster that sets pretrial conditions for defendants at the 26th and California courthouse will be working new assignments.
They’re being replaced by recently elected judges, many of whom served as career prosecutors. One famously sent an email ripping former State’s Attorney Kim Foxx when he resigned in 2022.
Starting next Monday, Judge William Fahy will be moving to the Bridgeview courthouse and Judge David Kelly will begin working in the Juvenile Justice Division, according to a spokesperson for Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans. Last fall, a CWBChicago review of court records found that Kelly was the most lenient of the Pretrial Division’s nine judges, approving just 46% of the detention petitions prosecutors gave him. Fahy approved only 59% of petitions, making him the third most lenient judge…