Amanda Moira Pillsbury

Name: Amanda Moira Pillsbury

Age: 38

Party: Democratic

Current residence: Western Springs

Current position: Cook County assistant state’s attorney

Past legal experience: Almost 13 years at Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $100

Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $0

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2004

Campaign website: pillsbury4judge.com

Family: Married to Philip Nawrocki; three children — Zoey (4), Brody (2½), Harper Grace (4 months)

Hobbies/interests: Volleyball, softball, cooking

Have you ever run for office before?

No.

Why should voters support your candidacy?

Experience — Spent every day in the courtroom for the past 12½ years prosecuting both criminal and civil cases; passionate about the law; strong courtroom presence and exude confidence in the courtroom; fair & knowledgeable; honest; the people of Cook County need something to believe in again. They want to believe in our criminal justice system, and I want to give them a great system they can believe in.

Why do you want to be a judge?

Ever since I was a young girl, I was fascinated with criminal law. I grew up in a neighborhood of mostly cops, firemen and city workers.

Once I went to college, I took a Discovery Law class and realized that my passion was not only criminal law but the courtroom. I loved being in court. In law school, my favorite classes were my trial advocacy classes — I even got the highest grade (CALI Award) in my advanced trial advocacy class. I landed my dream job right out of law school, becoming a prosecutor for Cook County. I still get that same “rush” every time I enter the courtroom as I did that first time in law school. Sitting on the bench would be a lifelong dream of mine fulfilled. The streets of Chicago are ridden with crime. The crime rate has gone up over the past few years, and it is time to make our streets safe again, one case at a time. I want to do my part to continue to serve the community, from the bench this time.

What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?

As a prosecutor, I have been lucky enough to handle so many interesting and serious cases, from murders to drug cases, predatory criminal sexual assault cases to armed robberies, and everything in between, the details of which most people would not want to hear or wouldn’t believe these things actually happen in real life. I have had cases where a father sexually molested his daughter and got his 12-year-old daughter pregnant; senseless murders where a grandson shot and killed his grandfather just so he could get some money to get a tattoo; an armed robbery where seven defendants went into a tattoo parlor, got tattoos and then after many hours of being there, and leaving their DNA there robbed the place; or robberies of pizza or Chinese food delivery men for free food and a couple dollars — just to name a few. One case that has always stuck with me, though, is a sex case I handled a few years back. A young girl in her 20s was out in downtown Chicago with some of her girlfriends. She met a seemingly normal guy, and they hit it off (or so she thought). They talked all night and happened to have some mutual friends and interests in common. They ended up sharing a cab because they “lived near each other” (which turned out to be a lie) and, once in the cab together, he convinced her to let him come over for a drink, but she didn’t realize that nice guy at the bar was really a monster. The things he did to her are not appropriate for print, from vaginal rape to anal rape and so on. At one point, she got away out into the hallway of her building, half-naked, only to be dragged back in by him as her nails and hands clutched the doorway. He then threatened that if she called the police, he would kill himself. Any person’s worst nightmare. The thing that stuck with me the most was the fact that I could so easily relate to this girl; this could have been me on a night out. Anyone can be a victim — which is a scary thought. One night out could change a person’s life forever. I was one of the first people to talk to the victim after the crime occurred, and my heart just sunk into my stomach — but I knew we would get justice for her. Another crazy twist was that the day the case was set for jury trial, the defendant ended up committing suicide instead of coming in to face the music.

What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?

Obtaining justice for the many undeserving victims of crime is my greatest career accomplishment. Fighting for those who couldn’t fight for themselves, including the children of sex crimes, and all victims of violent crimes — rapes, domestic batteries, robberies, home invasions, kidnappings, murders, etc.

What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?

Experience; confidence without cockiness; fairness; honesty and a pleasant disposition.