Judge in Brian Dugan murder case appointed DuPage's acting chief

The man presiding over the high-profile Brian Dugan murder case today was named acting chief judge for DuPage County.

George Bakalis will serve as acting chief judge on July 7, when Chief Judge Ann Jorgensen leaves for her appointment to a seat on the appellate bench.

The other circuit court judges will vote in September on making Bakalis' appointment permanent. He is expected to get the nod.

"George is an excellent candidate for chief judge because of his broad breadth of experience in the division, his wisdom, his good counsel and his advice," Jorgensen said.

The fiercely independent Bakalis is expected to keep Dugan's case, which focuses on the Feb. 25, 1983 murder of 10-year-old Naperville schoolgirl Jeanine Nicarico.

In 18 years on the bench, Bakalis, a former high school social studies teacher, gained a reputation as thoughtful and deliberate, showing little bias toward prosecutors or defense attorneys. He also has been known to give a defendant a second chance more times than not, especially in cases where an addiction or downtrodden past is paramount.

Bakalis has never sentenced a defendant to the death penalty, but he did preside over the trial of a Naperville woman convicted of killing her three children in the midst of a bitter divorce. Bakalis approved a deal that spared Marilyn Lemak's life, but ensured she will remain in prison until she dies.

The low-key Bakalis usually shuns the spotlight, though his family's name is well known in Illinois politics. His brother, Michael Bakalis, served as state comptroller and was once a contender to be governor.

George Bakalis taught social studies at Maine West High School in Des Plaines in the 1960s. He earned his law degree from DePaul University in 1969, and spent the next 20 years in private practice, concentrating on criminal law and divorce.

He was appointed an associate judge in 1990, then was elected a circuit judge in 1996. He routinely ranks high on state bar judicial polls.