A federal judge has shut down a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former senior investigator at Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, dealing a serious blow to claims that the agency’s former chief buried evidence and punished an internal critic. The ruling, issued last Thursday, tossed the investigator’s federal First Amendment claim with prejudice and left related state-law counts unresolved. The clash grew out of a tense August 2024 firing and months of scrutiny over COPA’s handling of headline-making police use-of-force investigations.
Judge: Speech Flowed From Official Duties
U.S. District Judge Joan H. Lefkow granted the city’s motion to dismiss, finding that the speech former investigator Eric Haynam says triggered retaliation was made as part of his official duties and therefore is not protected by the First Amendment. The court dismissed the federal claim with prejudice and declined supplemental jurisdiction over the Illinois whistleblower count, according to court documents from Justia. The opinion leans on the familiar Garcetti framework, which says employee speech that “owes its existence to” job duties falls outside First Amendment protection, to explain why Haynam’s federal theory could not go forward.
What Haynam Alleged
Haynam, who rose to deputy chief administrator at COPA, says he reported alleged misconduct by then-chief Andrea Kersten to the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability and to the city’s Office of Inspector General, and that he was fired on Aug. 30, 2024, in retaliation. The complaint accuses Kersten of suppressing quality-assurance audit results, mischaracterizing evidence, failing to interview key witnesses, and not properly training investigators on use-of-force standards, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
City Response And Leadership Fallout
The city’s Department of Law said it was “pleased” the court dismissed the First Amendment claim and that it is ready to defend any remaining state-law counts, according to the Chicago Tribune. The broader fight over investigatory practices and leadership helped trigger Kersten’s resignation earlier in 2025 and has left COPA staff and outside critics split over where the agency is headed, as local outlets have documented. The churn has fueled a wider oversight and political debate about how COPA should balance speedy investigations, fairness to officers, and transparency to the public, a conversation that is very much alive in City Hall.
Leadership And Oversight
Last month the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability moved to nominate interim chief LaKenya White as COPA’s permanent chief administrator after a nationwide search. Supporters say the move steadies day-to-day operations, while critics point to earlier decisions that reduced recommended discipline in several cases, according to an insider takeover report and other local coverage. The nomination now heads to the City Council’s Police and Fire Committee for a public hearing, then to a full council vote, with the mayor able to weigh in during the review.
With the federal claim dismissed with prejudice, Haynam’s legal path is narrow. The judge rejected his First Amendment theory and left only state-law claims that the federal court declined to keep, per Justia. Haynam previously filed a similar complaint in Cook County that was later dropped, and the city said it will continue to defend any state-law claims, according to the Chicago Tribune…