Attorneys representing a group of men and women who say they were framed by disgraced former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts and officers under his command are asking a judge to vacate dozens of remaining convictions in one fell swoop.
A motion filed earlier this week seeks summary judgment on behalf of dozens of people who have waited for years to prove that they were wrongfully arrested by Sgt. Ronald Watts or officers working for him.
A day after losing his battle to keep two of his appointees on the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday delivered an impassioned defense of the “incredibly thankless job” they do and a blistering attack on their Republican critics comparing them to QAnon conspiracy theorists.
Pritzker pronounced the GQP acronym slowly and carefully in response to a question about Monday’s state Senate vote. It’s been used by some Democrats nationally to label Republicans as the “Grand QAnon Party,” more interested in dismantling government and chasing dark conspiracy theories than governing.
Both Eleanor Wilson, whose appointment was voted down by the state Senate, and Oreal James, who resigned, drew sharp criticism for their votes last year to grant parole to Joseph Hurst and Johnny Veal, two men accused of killing police officers.