Judge's handling of IT case impressive

Having an interest in governmental proceedings, I sat in on a bench trial in Judge Liam Brennan's court room recently. It was for two defendants in the DuPage Forest Preserve IT department case.

There had been 317 felony charges filed 3 years ago in this case.

With high profile attorneys as defense counsel, there was a lot of action in the proceedings as it progressed. One of the highlights was after the prosecusion rested its case, and the defense argued for a directed verdict of not guilty. Judge Brennan dismissed about half of the numerous charges against the Forest Preserve's IT employee, and the vast majority of charges against a vendor for the FP.

The trial progressed through the defense portion, then closing arguements after the defense rested. What followed was the judge's ruling. It was impressive how Judge Brennan thoroughly went through each charge, articulating back and forth explaining the law and whether it did or didn't apply, based on the evidence presented by the prosecution. Through it all, the judge was thoughtful and patient in his decision making process.

The former FP IT employee was found guilty on a number of charges, and found not guilty on others. The FP vender was found not guilty of all charges.

I came away with a respect for the workings of our legal system, and plan on viewing other court rooms in the future.

Paula McGowen

Glen Ellyn