Bonnie C. McGrath
EDITOR’S NOTE: On Friday, we ran questionnaires for five candidates in the 8th Judicial Subcircuit’s Vacancy of Fabri. Our item on candidate Bonnie McGrath incorrectly stated she had not submitted responses to the Daily Law Bulletin, when in fact she provided them to our staff last month. We regret the error. Her responses are below.
Name: Bonnie C. McGrath
Age: 67
Current residence: Chicago
Current position: Sole practitioner
Past legal experience: Prosecutor, City of Chicago Department of Law, 1992-96; Solo, 1996-present
Law school: 1993
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $2,460.83
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $0
Campaign website: Under construction
Family: Daughter, Molly McGrath
Hobbies/interests: Art, music, historic preservation, Chicago history and nature field trips with Chicago area museums
Campaign website: N/A
Have you ever run for office before?
Yes, for judge.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
I think I would bring an outstanding array of skills to the bench. I have practiced in every division of the court, done voluminous amounts of legal writing, have taught law in many venues and have a proven lack of bias — having won 24 major journalism awards (my profession before becoming a lawyer). I have also demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the legal community through bar association chairmanships — and a voluminous number of projects completed for bench and bar.
Why do you want to be a judge?
I think being a judge will utilize my skills better than any other vocation in the legal field.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
It was a case in which a bicyclist was charged with several violations after he hit and severely injured an appellate court justice. I went about prosecuting the case in a professional and knowledgeable manner. But when the circuit court judge, the appellate court judge/victim, the defendant and I began to discuss the case and express our views on the issues, it opened up a whole world of legal thinking to me that was very much outside the box. I will never forget those discussions, which were held in open court.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
There are two: winning the Chicago Bar Association Pro Bono Award for sole practitioner, which is an award that recognizes those of us who go way above and beyond in the realm of pro bono. The other is becoming a national expert in the municipal law of vehicle impoundment — arguing the issues on television, discussing the issues at gatherings of bar association members, being consulted by out of state lawyers who were arguing a case before the US Supreme Court, as well as being asked to help the Chicago City Council make changes in the vehicle impoundment ordinances.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
Everything I have done — e.g., hundreds of arbitrations, 30 criminal appeals, hundreds of bench trials, cases in juvenile court, my years as a prosecutor, my teaching and writing about the law — and more — have prepared me well for being a judge. I also think my 15 years as a John Howard Association board member (a prison watchdog/reform group) gives me a unique perspective on alternatives to incarceration, rehabilitation and recidivism. And I have also been complimented on my temperament and my objectivity throughout my life. Judges and law professors have recognized these qualities and have recommended me to their own friends and family, which I think says it all.