Commission schedules hearing to address complaints against DuPage judge
The Illinois Courts Commission has scheduled hearing dates later this summer to consider a complaint filed by the Judicial Inquiry Board against DuPage County Judge Patrick O'Shea.
Board officials said the charges against O'Shea, including "conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice" and bringing "the judicial office into disrepute" will be heard Aug. 19 through 21 at 160 N. LaSalle St., Chicago.
In the complaint, O'Shea is charged with one count of making false and misleading statements to detectives and one count of presenting misleading testimony before the Judicial Inquiry Board related to a September 2017 case in which he fired a bullet into a neighboring condo unit in Wheaton.
O'Shea was charged with reckless conduct in connection with the shooting but later acquitted.
O'Shea was assigned to administrative duties on March 26, 2018, and his access to court facilities was limited to entry through a court security checkpoint. DuPage Courts Administrator John Lapinski said Friday that O'Shea remains limited to administrative duties.
The inquiry board also charged O'Shea with attempting to retaliate against a court clerk who filed a sexual harassment complaint against him and with attempting to retaliate against an administrative assistant for filing a similar complaint.
If found guilty of the charges by the courts commission, O'Shea could face a range of penalties that include a public reprimand, censure, suspension or removal from the bench.
The complaint alleges O'Shea filed a formal complaint in September 2017 against a court clerk who had lodged a sexual harassment complaint against him. Circuit Judge Robert Kleeman and the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts investigated and substantiated the clerk's complaint and deemed O'Shea's actions to be a violation of the Illinois Supreme Court Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedures.
O'Shea also is alleged to have taken other negative actions in the summer of 2016 against his former administrative assistant, including verbally complaining to her supervisors and co-workers about her appearance and job performance, demanding her termination, threatening to sue her, and threatening to hold her in contempt and take her into custody.
Those actions are alleged to have happened after his assistant submitted information in support of a sexual harassment complaint against him that Judge Ronald Sutter and the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts investigated, substantiated and also deemed to be a violation of the Illinois Supreme Court Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedures.
On Nov. 6, 2018, less than two weeks after the Judicial Inquiry Board's complaint was filed, 69% of 310,167 DuPage County voters cast ballots to retain O'Shea.