Speaking from his jury room a day after unseating Chief Judge Tim Evans in a judicial election, Judge Charles Beach told the Tribune he seeks to bring the concepts of “good governance and transparency to the judiciary” when he takes on the role in December.
In a surprise victory, his fellow jurists voted for Beach to replace Evans, who has served as chief judge for 24 years, spearheading historic bond reform and programs meant to increase equity in the judicial system while also overseeing a court system beset with systemic problems, including grindingly slow progress in criminal cases and outdated technology.
Beach, who served in the criminal pretrial division during a time when the system was undergoing a massive reform, later moved to the Law Division at the Daley Center. Sitting at the bench Thursday morning, he smiled as attorneys and court workers walked in to shake his hand.
Leading priorities, Beach said, are improving communication within the judiciary and with outside stakeholders, as well as improving technology. Beach credited Evans with doing a “fabulous job” in the role for the past two decades.
But he said he stepped up to run against a longtime incumbent because he felt the court system needed a more modern look and a “fresh voice.” He noted his experience in both civil and criminal courthouses.
“I’m fluent in how they operate over there,” he said of the main criminal courthouse on the Southwest Side, “and I’m fluent in how they operate over here.”
During the first round of voting at the Daley Center, Beach led Evans 122 votes to 117, with Judge Nichole Patton, also of the Law Division, trailing with 14 votes.
Patton dropped out before judges undertook a second round of voting, after which Beach got 144 votes to Evans’ 109, with one spoiled ballot.
“Charlie is a fantastic leader,” Judge Mary Marubio, presiding judge of the pretrial division, told the Tribune Wednesday. “He’s not someone who is seeking to lead for the recognition but simply to make the process better, the system better.”
Evans, 82, previously alderman of the city’s 4th Ward, was the first African-American to serve as chief judge, pledging to make the system more “user friendly” and was reelected seven more times. Along the way, according to the office of the chief judge, he has opened or expanded court operations dedicated to domestic violence, mental health, drug rehabilitation, and veterans support.
A former trial attorney with an expertise in DUI offenses, Beach was appointed to the bench eight years ago by the Illinois Supreme Court, serving as a supervising judge in the traffic division and as supervising judge of the pretrial division at 26th Street, according to his website.
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