In her bid for a seat on the Illinois Supreme Court, she lost last week by nearly a two to one margin. In Judge Judy, voters didn’t like what they saw.
They saw Cates try to smear Judge David Overstreet for “releasing” a “child rapist” from prison.
That’s even though the accused party had been convicted in absentia while hospitalized and merited a new trial.
That’s even though other judges had concurred with Overstreet in that decision
That’s even though Cates herself had made such a judgment in a similar case at least once.
That’s even though Cates had accepted campaign contributions from the law firm that secured a new trial for the alleged “child rapist.”
And that’s even though Cates herself was highly familiar with all of the facts of this case.
She still approved and ran the ad. Because she wanted to win and win at all costs.
That’s Judy Cates.
When Overstreet responded to her grotesque ads, trying to explain all of the above, Cates played the victim. She was being attacked; that was the problem.
“I am calling for Overstreet to resign from the Illinois Judges Association for these attack ads,” she declared with simulated indignation. “He has no integrity.”
Talk about projection.
Judy Cates ran a sleazy, dishonest, hypocritical, mud-slinging campaign unworthy of someone entrusted with such a critical position of public trust.
Her campaign demonstrated a lack of judgment and fitness for any court, much less the highest court in the state. Kudos to Southern Illinois for recognizing this.