New U.S. attorney officially in top spot
Fardon lauded by ceremony attendees
The Northern District of Illinois has a new head law man.
The ceremonial swearing-in of U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon turned into something of a celebrity roast Monday as a string of judges, dignitaries and family members wisecracked about everything from Fardon's good looks to the time he rear-ended a police car as a teenager.
The 90-minute ceremony at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse came nearly a month after Fardon began his duties as the 40th top prosecutor in the Northern District of Illinois since the 1850s, succeeding Patrick Fitzgerald, who stepped down after a nearly 11-year run.
Patrick Collins, Fardon's former colleague and co-prosecutor on the landmark Operation Safe Roads investigation, brought the house down with his deadpan remarks about a recent newspaper profile that quoted a legal consultant likening Fardon's face to the honesty of an affidavit and his humble nature to that of the pope.
"You sir, are no Pope Francis," Collins scolded Fardon in the packed ceremonial courtroom. "And the face of an affidavit? I mean, c'mon. Surfer dude, maybe."
Security at the courthouse was tight as Fardon's new boss, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, flew in from Washington, as did U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk. Also in attendance were Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and police Superintendent Garry McCarthy — as well as a slew of the city's more high-powered lawyers.
While the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago has become nationally known for putting crooked politicians behind bars, Fardon takes office amid increasing pressure to do something to stem the city's epidemic of gun violence. Durbin and Kirk on Monday reiterated their repeated calls for Fardon to make the issue a top priority.
In his remarks, Holder announced that he was sending additional resources to Chicago to help in the fight, including a new leader, senior managers and field agents for the Chicago office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Holder said the ATF will concentrate its efforts on gun trafficking, "constricting the supply of illegal guns that too often wind up in the hands of gang members and other violent criminals."
Without offering specifics, Holder also said the Justice Department would be pledging "millions of dollars in grant funding" to Chicago law enforcement agencies to provide training and technical assistance.
Echoing what he told reporters in his first interview last week, Fardon said Monday he was "all in" when it comes to using federal resources to go after the most violent offenders, but he added that the culture of gangs and guns is largely a social justice issue that won't be solved by simply arresting more people.
"It is too big, it is too deep, it is too insidious and it starts at too young an age," Fardon said.
jmeisner@tribune.com
The 90-minute ceremony at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse came nearly a month after Fardon began his duties as the 40th top prosecutor in the Northern District of Illinois since the 1850s, succeeding Patrick Fitzgerald, who stepped down after a nearly 11-year run.
Patrick Collins, Fardon's former colleague and co-prosecutor on the landmark Operation Safe Roads investigation, brought the house down with his deadpan remarks about a recent newspaper profile that quoted a legal consultant likening Fardon's face to the honesty of an affidavit and his humble nature to that of the pope.
Security at the courthouse was tight as Fardon's new boss, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, flew in from Washington, as did U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk. Also in attendance were Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and police Superintendent Garry McCarthy — as well as a slew of the city's more high-powered lawyers.
While the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago has become nationally known for putting crooked politicians behind bars, Fardon takes office amid increasing pressure to do something to stem the city's epidemic of gun violence. Durbin and Kirk on Monday reiterated their repeated calls for Fardon to make the issue a top priority.
In his remarks, Holder announced that he was sending additional resources to Chicago to help in the fight, including a new leader, senior managers and field agents for the Chicago office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Holder said the ATF will concentrate its efforts on gun trafficking, "constricting the supply of illegal guns that too often wind up in the hands of gang members and other violent criminals."
Without offering specifics, Holder also said the Justice Department would be pledging "millions of dollars in grant funding" to Chicago law enforcement agencies to provide training and technical assistance.
Echoing what he told reporters in his first interview last week, Fardon said Monday he was "all in" when it comes to using federal resources to go after the most violent offenders, but he added that the culture of gangs and guns is largely a social justice issue that won't be solved by simply arresting more people.
"It is too big, it is too deep, it is too insidious and it starts at too young an age," Fardon said.
jmeisner@tribune.com
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