A Chicago judge has been accused of making sexist comments about a New York lawyer who repped Bill Cosby — after reportedly getting caught on a hot mic asking, “Can you imagine waking up next to her every day?”
Cook County Judge William Raines appeared to have thought his court’s live-stream cameras were off when he made disparaging comments about Jennifer Bonjean, WGN News said.
“’Did you see her going nuts, glasses off, fingers through her hair … It’s insane,’” Bonjean recalled hearing the judge ask a prosecutor.
“Can you imagine waking up next to her every day? Oh my God!” the judge said, according to The Chicago Sun-Times, citing transcripts including in a court motion to preserve video of the conversation.
Assistant state’s attorney Susie Bucaro reportedly then chimed in saying, “There would be a number of things wrong in my life if I was waking up next to her every day.’
The judge reportedly added, “I couldn’t have a visual on that if you paid me.”
Bonjean — who has repped many high-profile cases, including disgraced “America’s Dad” Cosby — told WGN the judge’s abusive comments came “out of nowhere [and] for no apparent reason.”
Her paralegal managed to get a transcript, and on Thursday another judge approved Bonjean’s emergency motion to preserve the video, the Sun-Times said.
Bonjean said she intended to file a complaint with the Judicial Inquiry Board over the “sexist and offensive” comments.
“He should not be presiding over things as important as criminal court proceedings where people’s lives hang in the balance,” she told WGN.
A spokeswoman for the state’s attorney’s office called the comments by prosecutors caught in the hot-mic moment “unacceptable.”
“Their actions reflect poorly on the work of our office and the entire criminal justice system. State’s Attorney [Kim] Foxx has spoken directly with both ASAs and as a personnel matter, this will be addressed appropriately,” they said in a statement to both outlets.
A spokeswoman for Cook County’s Chief Judge Tim Evans said he would hold a meeting of the circuit court’s executive committee next week to discuss the comments by Raines, who was recused from the initial case.
