The incoming top prosecutor for Chicago will set up a special office to target pro-life demonstrators while the city continues to reel from crime.
Eileen Burke, former Cook County assistant state attorney and judge in the First District Appellate Court, will replace Kim Foxx as Cook County state attorney, winning 60.82% of the vote, according to the unofficial tally. One of her flagship policies is the creation of a “Choice Protection Unit” that would specifically target pro-life activists with potential prosecution, according to her campaign platform. Pro-life demonstrators have long faced prosecution from federal and state authorities for protesting near abortion clinics.
“Illinois has had a 70% increase in out-of-state visitors coming to our state for abortion services. Inevitably, we will also see an increase in Anti-Choice protesters attempting to interfere with that right,” Burke’s campaign website reads. “In order to do that and fulfill the mission of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office to protect victims and uphold the laws of the State of Illinois, Eileen O’Neill Burke will create the office’s first CHOICE PROTECTION UNIT (CPU).”
The office also plans to train its prosecutors to defend hospitals sued by pro-life organizations for malpractice, according to her campaign website.
“Insidious actors coming from outside the state to stop women from exercising their rights to make choices about their own bodies, free from the interference of government or others determined to stop them,” Eileen said in an ACLU questionnaire. “Clinics across Illinois have received threats and endorsed violence. I will stand strongly against such efforts.”
At the federal level, pro-life activists have already been prosecuted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which criminalizes blocking access to abortion clinics, according to bill text. For example, 75-year-old Paulette Harlow was given two years in prison for peacefully blocking access to an abortion clinic in 2020 and in May, and pro-life activist Lauren Handy was ordered to serve 57 months in prison for the same protest.
Burke will step into office amid a persistent crime problem in Chicago, with the city leading the nation in homicides for the 12th year in a row, according to Wirepoints. The city clocked 617 homicides in 2023, while Philadelphia, the second highest, had only 408.
Burke also plans on making a “Restorative Justice Bureau,” which would in theory help juvenile, veteran, drug and mental health courts coordinate with government agencies to “bring people back to society,” according to her campaign website. The bureau would attempt to “tackle the underlying issues driving criminal behavior rather than resorting to detention,” she said in the questionnaire.
Crime overall is up 8% from 2022 to 2024 and up 50% from 2021, according to city data. Chicago also recently passed 500 homicides for the year.
Burke said she believes people of color are disproportionately incarcerated in Cook County and is “steadfast” in reducing the number of incarcerated people of color, according to the ACLU questionnaire. She also supports appointing a special prosecutor to specifically handle cases involving law enforcement officers’ misconduct.
Additionally, she supports reducing previous sentences for some imprisoned people, lessening prosecution for “consensual sex work” and driving on a suspended license, and reclassifying certain drug possession charges, according to the questionnaire.
Burke’s campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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