When prosecutors ask a judge to detain someone during their first appearance on a new felony charge at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago, the judge will side with prosecutors nearly 7 out of 10 times. That is, unless prosecutors are asking Judge D’Anthony Thedford.
Thedford, who began hearing pretrial cases at 26th Street on February 5, sides with defendants more than half the time. And in recent weeks, he has sided with defendants nearly six out of 10 times, court records show.
Appointed to the bench in 2024, Thedford started in the Traffic Division, but Cook County’s new Chief Judge, Charles Beach, reassigned him to the Pretrial Division in January, and Thedford began hearing cases on February 5…