Please remember my friend Anthony Lynn Burrell, 1961-2014

Burrell for Justice Appellate Court.jpgAnthony Lynn Burrell, 1961-2014
By Bob Goldsborough, Special to the Tribune
2:00 am, July 1, 2014
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Anthony Lynn Burrell dropped out of high school but went on to earn a law degree from an Ivy League school and sit as a Cook County judge for 12 years.

“There was nobody like Judge Anthony Burrell. He was just a great human being, and I think justice was well-served whenever he was on the bench,” said U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Chicago, one of Judge Burrell’s early political supporters.

Judge Burrell, 52, died of renal failure on Wednesday, May 14, at Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter in Glenview, said his sister, Pamela. A West Loop resident, he had battled kidney cancer for many years, she said.

Raised on the West Side, Judge Burrell left school after ninth grade after being bullied, his sister said. He eventually studied for and earned his GED certificate. He attended Loop College and Malcolm X College, where he studied criminal justice, before earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Loyola University Chicago in 1984.

Judge Burrell received a full scholarship to Cornell Law School, getting his degree in 1987, his sister said.

Ralph Lee, an assistant general counsel for Verizon Communications, attended Cornell Law alongside Judge Burrell and remembered him as “smart and humorous.”

“His reputation at the law school was he had a sharp wit which could cut and enlighten at the same time,” Lee said.

After finishing law school, Judge Burrell took a job as an associate at Riker Danzig, a large East Coast firm. The experience was short-lived.

“Corporate law was not the best for him,” his sister said. “He wanted to come back to Chicago and pursue his dreams of helping the underprivileged and downtrodden.”

Judge Burrell worked briefly in private practice as a defense attorney in Chicago before signing on as an assistant Cook County state’s attorney in 1989. He remained there until 1994. He worked for a time at Maryville Academy, a group care home for troubled youths. He also made two unsuccessful bids to be a Cook County circuit judge.

Judge Burrell took a job with Chicago Public Schools, working for several years in school and community relations. In March 2002, he won a Democratic primary race for Cook County Circuit Court judge, and he then won a seat on the bench in the general election that November.

“Anthony was one of the most sensitive, kind, what-you-see-is-what-you-get people around,” Davis said.

Judge Burrell was unsuccessful in his Democratic primary bid in 2010 to become an Illinois appellate judge.

In 2009, Judge Burrell started a cable TV show, “Have Gavel, Will Travel,” aimed at bringing justice out of the courtroom and into the classroom, to educate schoolchildren on subjects like criminal justice, violence prevention and neighborhood safety.

A marriage to Charman Shields Burrell ended in divorce. In addition to Pamela Burrell, Judge Burrell is survived by another sister, Lavette Bradford.

Services were held.

Chicago Police Officer Kevin Duffy vs. Judge Haberkorn of Park Ridge

Hello Chicago Clout fans and I want you to take interest in what could be best described as Judicial Misconduct. I could also call this story much to do about nothing until Clout takes over. I'll tell this story as fair as I can, but as a City of Chicago employee, I hope I can explain what happens when someone has clout. I stumbled upon this story as I am working on several police misconduct cases while we speak. Many misconduct cases are sweep under the rug when a cop has clout. I have witnessed several black kids getting their heads beat by Chicago Cops and nothing was ever done. I have also watched many brave cops complete their duty without as much as a thank you. That goes with the territory in Chicago. The two decades of Daley and his henchmen has destroyed our faith in Chicago Government. The current problem is the clowns Daley put in charge are the same goofs promoting more of their kind into positions of power. The circle of stupidity continues. The taxpayer keeps getting slaughtered with lawsuits and disgruntled workers. I am hoping Chicago Clout Michael Volpe can do an in-depth interview with Kevin Duffy and or his Attorney Blake Horwitz of Chicago.
Here is the story short form, the Kevin Duffy story with-out giving away personal details. There is a large office complex in Park Ridge and next to it is a large condominium Complex with multiple floors. At least four that I can remember as a friend of mine lived there. (March of 2008) Officer Kevin Duffy was parked in the office building parking lot late at night. He alleged he was smoking a cigar. He was in his personal vehicle. He was standing outside his car and as best I can tell, walking around puffing on the cigar. There are small shrubs and some small trees at the site. Some video evidence exists but it is not available for some reason. It seems in documents; Catherine Habercorn was worried four stories up in the air about Kevin's car and Kevin in the parking lot. It seems Catherine Haberkorn was so scared about this mystery man in the office parking lot, she had her daughter "at a high rate of speed" chase Kevin to get his License Plates. Some of the documents also accuse Kevin flashing his headlights into a "forth story residence". How in the hell is that possible? I think at best it might have been possible his tires might have squeaked on the smooth blacktop when he made a turn since he had a new car.
So it looks like a simple story and we all go home? No, Judge Catherine Haberkorn has clout and Kevin Duffy does not. Several branches of investigative authorities put the poor guy through the ringer which almost destroyed his career. I am not surprised many of the official reports have spelling errors and conflicting statements. Chicago Clout is going to closely watch the upcoming election of Judge Catherine Haberkorn. I hope the media takes a closer look at this loose cannon. Many Judges hide behind their robes and misuse their power. Enough is enough. Patrick McDonough