Fri Sep 13 10:56:00 UTC 2024: ## Judge Who Sentenced Burke Had Family Ties to His Law Firm: Sun-Times Investigation
A Chicago Sun-Times investigation has uncovered a potential conflict of interest involving Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall, who sentenced former Ald. Edward M. Burke to two years in prison for corruption. The investigation revealed that Kendall’s family business, Land and Lakes Co., hired Burke’s law firm, Klafter & Burke, in the 1990s to help them fight a city ban on expanding landfills.
Land and Lakes, owned by Kendall’s family, faced a city order to shut down their landfill on the Southeast Side for violating a moratorium on expanding landfills. To fight the order, they hired Burke’s firm, with Burke’s wife, retired Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, representing the company.
While Judge Kendall stated she was unaware of her family’s hiring of Burke’s firm until contacted by the Sun-Times, she sought an opinion from the general counsel for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. This opinion, received after Burke’s sentencing, deemed no recusal was necessary.
However, the Sun-Times raises questions about the potential conflict of interest and the timing of the opinion, given the close relationship between Burke’s firm and Kendall’s family.
Both Burke and his wife declined to comment on the findings, and lawyers for Burke, who is scheduled to report to prison by September 23, also remained silent.
Despite the revelation, the U.S. attorney’s office, who prosecuted Burke, has not commented on the matter.
This investigation raises serious questions about the impartiality of Judge Kendall’s sentencing of Burke, given the financial ties between her family and Burke’s firm. The revelation adds another layer of complexity to an already controversial case.
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