U.S. Judge Frank Easterbrook of Chicago; arrogant, lifetime porker

The state of Illinois presented Frank Hoover Easterbrook with a law license in 1973 after he graduated from the University of Chicago Law School. 

In 1985, former president Ronald Reagan was duped into nominating Frankie to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Frankie didn’t receive the nomination because he was the most qualified attorney in the Chicago area. He received it because he had proven to be a reliable lackey for the local political hacks.

Frankie has had his significant snout firmly implanted in the public trough for 25 of the past 30 years. Apparently, no self-respecting law firm was about to hire Frankie for a good paying job. If it wasn’t for a government check, Frankie would likely be working as a $60 an hour public defender in Cook County.

In one matter, Judge Easterbrook found it acceptable to reprimand District Court Judge Billy McDade of Peoria, Illinois for allowing a camera into his courtroom.

Easterbrook is a member of the Seventh Circuit Judicial Council that arrogantly passed a resolution banning camera in all federal courtrooms in the circuit, which encompasses Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Clearly, Easterbrook and his comrades believe they have a right to deny the public access to proceedings via cameras that the taxpayers are obligated to fund.

Easterbrook’s conduct flies in the fact of federal courts in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York that allow cameras in the courtroom. Additionally, most state courts permit cameras in the courtroom.

What is truly troubling is that Easterbrook would have the chutzpah to reprimand Judge McDade for performing a public service while refusing to mete out any punishment to Judicial Misfits that actually engage in egregious misconduct.

As we speak (ca. September 2015), Judge Easterbrook continues to sit as a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, Illinois.