Suburban lawmaker wants recall election for Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx

Although the effort has little hope of success in the Democratic-majority legislature, a Republican lawmaker from the suburbs has filed a proposal aiming to permit a recall election for Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

With only days left in the spring legislative session, state Rep. Chris Bos of Lake Zurich submitted on Tuesday the “County State's Attorney Recall Act,” asserting Foxx's policies toward prosecuting gun violence and other cases are fueling an increase in crime.

“The negligence shown by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx is inexcusable,” Bos said in a news release. “Her actions have destroyed trust with the people she is in office to serve. She has failed in her responsibilities on multiple instances in ways that are startling and not in line with the office she has been elected to.”

In response, Foxx's office noted it approved adult felony charges in 86% of cases it filed in 2021.

“We have a 75% conviction rate thanks to the support of our law enforcement partners across Cook County,” said Cristina Villarreal, chief of external affairs. “Voters elected State's Attorney Foxx to focus on violent crime. We respect the voters' decision and will continue to focus on violent crime instead of worrying about political grandstanding.”

Bos did not respond to requests for comment beyond the statements in the news release, which cited Foxx's office's original decision to drop charges against actor Jussie Smollet, who was accused of staging a hate crime. Bos also claimed Foxx has declined to prosecute gang members involved in shootouts, including one instance in which a person was killed, because she considers these to be instances of “mutual combat.”

The 51st District that Bos represents now covers mainly Lake County but for a small portion of Barrington in Cook County. In the redistricting map that followed the 2020 census and approved last fall, about half the district sits in Cook County, including all or parts of Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Palatine and Rolling Meadows.