It's easy to judge why this inexperienced lawyer will get on the bench

Dan Degnan may not have the credentials, but he has a powerful dad

January 20, 2012|John Kass

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Once there were five candidates for Cook County judge in a Southwest Side district dominated by Democratic boss Mike Madigan.

There was the incumbent judge, who had been a criminal attorney for 20 years before his appointment last year. There was also an attorney for the city of Chicago, a public defender and an assistant Illinois attorney general.

And there was that fifth candidate, who suffered from an acute shortage of legal experience.

But what does experience matter when it comes time to don the black robes and dance along The Chicago Way?

Though short on courtroom time, the fifth candidate did have something more valuable: oodles of political chops. And he had the Mount Olympus of political hack jobs, executive director of the Cook County employee pension fund. But his most outstanding qualification was that his father was the political brain (and fist) of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.

So guess how many candidates are left on the ballot now? If you said "just one," meaning the political guy with the father with the clout, you'd be right.

Say hello to future Judge Daniel R. Degnan, the son of Tim Degnan, Daley's political hammer.

One by one, the other candidates dropped out. At least two had their petitions of candidacy challenged by the incumbent and withdrew before a hearing. Then it was down to two candidates: Degnan and Judge Tom Carroll. According to several sources, Judge Carroll got a message of his own: It's not your turn anymore.

Now, Daniel R. Degnan is running unopposed as a Democrat in the 3rd Judicial Subcircuit. In practical terms, that means he'll have a job for life, with a six-figure salary and no heavy lifting and all those holidays off with pay.

Still, inserting a judge with little legal experience is quite bold, even for a guy like Mike Madigan, speaker of the Illinois House and absolute lord of the Midwestern state now known as Madiganistan. When it comes to making judges, all robes begin with Madigan, especially in his Southwest Side stronghold.

I asked around City Hall, wondering if Degnan's kid even had 10 minutes in a courtroom.

"Ten minutes?" said a guy who knows. "You're exaggerating. I'd say about eight minutes in a courtroom. Not bad for a judge."

You can't be serious, I said.

"It is what it is," he said. "Madigan endorsed him."

Degnan's resume read like this: law school at Loyola, then about 31/2 years at the firm of Sullivan, Hincks & Conway ending in 1999. Then a series of political jobs, first with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, then with the county pension fund.

Somehow, it just doesn't sound like "The Good Wife" to me.

On Degnan's campaign website the other day, it said he "worked directly with legal counsel from the Funds, outside counsel, and counsel from the Office of the Cook County State's Attorney on an array of legal matters facing those offices including but not limited to …"

Blah, blah, blah. It goes on and on. But what does it really mean? Who knows? I was in the federal building the other morning and had a conversation with three lawyers. I guess I should be a judge too.

I visited Degnan's office Thursday morning to ask about his legal experience, but a pleasant woman there told me that he was too busy to talk. Other calls were not returned. His campaign phone was disconnected, but who needs a campaign office when you're running unopposed in the palm of Mike Madigan?

Attorney Edward Jerome Austin, chairman of the Chicago Bar Association's judicial evaluation committee, said the group's standards start at 12 years experience.

"You must have 12 years as a practicing attorney," he said. "Unless, of course, you show some exceptional skills. We're looking for experience."

John Locallo, president of the Illinois State Bar Association, said: "One of the criteria is temperament, and evenhandedness, and having a number of years behind you in the practice of law. We view that as an important thing."

But does Madigan view experience as important? To find out, I called his spokesman, Steve Brown.

"I don't know anything about this, but if I do, I'll call back," Brown said.

Sure, Steve.

Judge Carroll's father had been a precinct captain for Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, a strong Madigan ally. Carroll had since moved to the 19th Ward, and Ald. Matt O'Shea had endorsed him.

Yet something changed just a few days ago, and O'Shea was told that Carroll would not seek election, clearing a path for Degnan, who will forevermore be known as Yeronner.

"Tom Carroll is a good man, a gentleman, and Cook County is lucky to have him on the bench," O'Shea said. But not for long.

Ed Burke, whose 14th Ward has a few precincts in the subcircuit, had no comment. And neither did Ald. Michael Zalewski, whose 23rd Ward is also part of the subcircuit. What was there to say, really?

But I stopped in Judge Carroll's courtroom in the Daley Center on Thursday. A man stood before him, complaining about getting a ticket at a stop sign on Argyle. Carroll was calm and reasonable and kind. It appeared he hadn't contracted the feared "black robe disease" in which judges sometimes suffer swollen heads.

He took a recess and heard my theory about how he was forced out.

"I have no comment," said the judge, and I understood. He couldn't defy Madigan, and he couldn't complain. All he could do was walk back to the bench.

And keep it warm for Tim Degnan's son, an inexperienced lawyer, yes, but a prime beneficiary of the Chicago Way.

jskass@tribune.com