Cook County Judge Under State Disciplinary Investigation after Allegedly Sharing Racist Meme

Judicial Performance and Integrity, Judicial Structures, Ethics, and Efficiency , ,

Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman, a Cook County judge, is under disciplinary review for allegedly sending a racist meme in a text message. As reported by Injustice Watch and WBEZ, the meme depicts an AI-generated image of a Black child and a Black child’s leg with an electronic monitor on his ankle, captioned “My First Ankle Monitor.” Various media outlets reported that Glennon-Goodman shared the image with a message that said, “My husband’s idea of Christmas humor.”

A friend of Glennon-Goodman said the message was intended for another friend, but was mistakenly sent to a judge with the same first name. Regardless of the intended audience, this is unacceptable behavior for a sitting judge and undermines public trust and confidence in the judiciary and justice system. Participating in the perpetuation of racist stereotypes calls Judge Glennon-Goodman’s judgment and impartiality into question. Black children face a very real threat of systemic bias and lifetime harm in our court system, and judges must not minimize the impact of stereotypes, unconscious bias and systemic inequity. 

As reported by Injustice Watch, on January 10, 2025, Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans and the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County issued an order stating that Glennon-Goodman’s actions “may violate the Code of Judicial Conduct.” As such, the Executive Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County temporarily reassigned Glennon-Goodman from the pretrial division “to promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary,” referred the matter to the Judicial Inquiry Board “to determine whether further sanction is warranted,” and required that Glennon-Goodman undergo training on implicit bias.

The Chicago Council of Lawyers condemns Judge Glennon-Goodman’s behavior. We appreciate the swift action to remove the judge from pretrial hearings and urge the Judicial Inquiry Board to take action to address this incident and prevent any similar incidents in the future.

Public confidence in our judiciaries is falling. According to the New York Times, while confidence in the judiciary is stable in most developed nations, in the US confidence in our courts has dropped precipitously—from 59 percent in 2020 to 35 percent in 2024. Reversing this trend requires prompt action by the Court and the Board to identify, address, and prevent improper behavior like Judge Glennon-Goodman’s. 

Glennon-Goodman was appointed to a vacancy on the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in January 2023, and ran unopposed for her seat in the 10th Subcircuit in November 2024. Serving in the pretrial division, Glennon-Goodman was responsible for deciding whether defendants in criminal and domestic violence cases were jailed, placed on electronic monitoring, or released. Glennon-Goodman’s term lasts until 2030. Glennon-Goodman was found qualified for the bench by all Alliance Bars.

To learn more about Judge Glennon-Goodman’s alleged misconduct, visit: Injustice Watch and ABA Journal.

Thanks to Grace Coolidge, Northwestern University, class of 2025, political science and international studies and a minor in legal studies, for her work in drafting this statement.