The Rascal told you so

More than a month ago, I predicted here that Winnebago County State's Attorney Paul Logli (right), a Republican, would be appointed by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Bob Thomas, another Republican, to a Circuit Court judgeship vacated by Gerald Grubb, yet another Republican.

I further predicted that Logli's deputy state's attorney, Republican Chuck Prorok, would be appointed his successor by the Republican-controlled County Board.

Well, the Rockford Register Star reported today that Logli's judicial appointment by the high court has come through and that he's recommending Prorok as his successor.

So, now Logli gets to run in next year's election as an incumbent judge, and Prorok likely will be able to run as an incumbent state's attorney. Incumbency, of course, traditionally has its electoral advantages.

Such are the politics of the criminal justice system in Winnebago County.

By the way, a reader of the Rockford Rascal has passed along this link to a piece about Logli and law school Professor Alan Hirsch exchanging snarky letters in the Los Angeles Times last year over the issue of prosecutorial misconduct in general and in the alleged Duke University rape case in particular.

Mike Nifong, the prosecutor in the Duke case, has since been disbarred for unethical conduct.