The Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney is under the leadership of Kimberly M. Foxx once again, as she is taking over in the Office for another four years following her recent re-election. Kim Foxx has previously won the March 2016 Democratic nomination for State’s Attorney against then-incumbent Anita Alvarez and former federal and state prosecutor Donna More and has also won the November 2016 general election against the Republican Candidate Christopher E.K. Pfannkuche. At the time, Foxx ran on a criminal justice reform platform and has been deemed a reformist and a ‘progressive’ prosecutor. During the campaign period, Kim Foxx was also placed under scrutiny by Alvarez, who questioned how Foxx handled the case of the murder of Laguan McDonald by Chicago Police Officers, as well as Foxx’s performance on the issues regarding police accountability and wrongful convictions. On November 19, 2019, Kimberly Foxx announced her decision to run for re-election and went against three competitors in the Democratic Party – Bill Conway, Bob Fioretti, and Donna More. Throughout her second campaign period, Foxx kept her platform of criminal justice reforms and progression. On March 17, 2021, Foxx won the primary election with 50.19% votes, maintaining a high level of support from most African American neighborhoods compared to her previous election results. Kimberly Foxx won the November 3, 2020, general election with 54.1% of the votes against Republican candidate Pat O’Brien and was, after that, re-elected to another four-year term. Kim Foxx was sworn into the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney on December 7, 2020, for her second term.
Table of Contents
- First and Second Appointment
- Educational Background
- Professional Career
- Teaching Experience
- Honors and Awards
- Accomplishments of Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx: First Term
- Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx’s Plans: Second Term
- Office Jurisdiction
- Aspirations and Future Goals of Kim Foxx
- Contact Details
- Cook County State’s Attorney
- Kim Foxx Campaign
- Office Directory
- Executive Offices
- Leighton Criminal Courts Building
- Juvenile Justice Bureau
- First Municipal District
- Second Municipal District
- Domestic Violence Division
- Third Municipal District
- Fourth Municipal District
- Victim/Witness Assistance Unit
- Fifth Municipal District
- Sixth Municipal District
- Daley Center
- Child Support Enforcement
- Community Justice Offices
- Social Media Profiles of Kim Foxx
- Twitter Fields
First and Second Appointment
Kimberly M. Foxx continues to lead the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office as she is currently in her second term in the position. She is the first African-American woman to be the State’s Attorney of Cook County, leading the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the United States for two consecutive terms. Kim Foxx first took Office on December 1, 2016, carrying a vision of transforming the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney into a more just and non-discriminatory law enforcement agency that focuses on rebuilding public trust, implementing and promoting transparency, as well as being proactive in continuously making the communities safe. On November 4, 2020, Democratic Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx took a reelection victory lap against Republican former Cook County Judge Patrick W. O’Brien and Libertarian candidate Brian Dennehy. Kim Foxx is now to serve her second term after fulfilling her first four years in the position.
Educational Background
Earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx graduated from the Southern Illinois University – Carbondale in 1994. She subsequently received her Juris Doctorate from the Southern Illinois University School of Law in 1997.
Professional Career
After graduation, Kimberly Foxx joined the CIGNA Property & Casualty as a Workers Compensation Claims Associate, serving in the position for ten months, from August 1997 to May 1998. She then switched to public practice and joined the Cook County Public Guardian as an Assistant Public Guardian. In this capacity, she began serving Cook County by representing children who were reported to have been abused, neglected, or in need of representation as per the court’s appointment. On top of that, she was responsible for advocating for the implementation of services for children with special needs, attending meetings with various public school personnel, conducting child-sensitive interviews, visiting and assessing foster homes, as well as managing a caseload of more than 150 children during the time she served as a senior courtroom attorney. For a little over three years, Kimberly Foxx was Assistant Public Guardian, serving in the Cook County Public Guardian from May of 1998 to June of 2001.
First joining the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney in 2001, Kim Foxx was appointed as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Juvenile Justice Bureau of Child Protection. For four years, she managed to prosecute numerous petitions for Adjudication of Wardship. Besides, Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx handled all of the related trials, motions, and hearings related to the minors involved in abuse and neglect proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act and Parental Rights Proceedings under the Adoption Act of Illinois. In 2005, Kimberly Foxx was appointed as Assistant State’s Attorney in the Juvenile Justice Division. For two years, until the year 2007, she prosecuted felony and misdemeanor cases that involved juvenile offenders – following through the prosecution process from the preliminary hearing, through the pre-trial motions, the trial, and then through the sentencing.
Furthermore, she managed to implement a program evaluation process for diversion programs that are offered to juvenile offenders, developed metrics for success and evidence-based evaluation, as well as fostered relationships with schools and communities for the implementation of balanced and restorative justice practices. Throughout the six years of her first chapter in the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney, Kimberly Foxx has handled a court call of approximately 500 cases as a lead attorney. She has also managed a personal caseload of roughly 600 cases on top of her other duties.
Teaching Experience
Following her initial service as the Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx became a Faculty Instructor at the National College of District Attorneys in October of 2007. In this capacity, she provided instruction on trial advocacy fundamentals – bringing learning to state and local prosecutors within the United States. Additionally, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx trained students on effective trial management nuances and imparted her expertise in the field. She remained in the teaching position for over four years prior to joining the Cook County State’s Attorney Office once again.
In October of 2007, Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx was appointed as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney – joining the Division of Prelims, Felony Review, and Sex Crimes for 11 months. Later, she became the Juvenile Justice Bureau’s Supervisor and was then made responsible for overseeing 12 Assistant State’s Attorney in felony juvenile courtrooms. Furthermore, at the time, Kim Foxx was also in charge of supervising a prosecution docket of over 5000 criminal cases and conducting and overseeing jury trials in both the juvenile courts of cases involving criminal sexual assault, first-degree murder, and vehicular hijackings. She remained to hold the leadership role for almost six years, from August of 2008 to April of 2013.
Kimberly Foxx subsequently joined the Office of the Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle as a Deputy to the Chief of Staff. For seven months, she oversaw the departments under the jurisdiction of the President and has provided assistance and guidance in the development of policies, programs, and critical initiatives for the smooth enforcement of all county policies and ordinances, as well as in making sure that the bureau and departments of the Office can appropriately utilize the necessary resources to operate efficiently and effectively. In November of 2013, Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx became Chief of Staff and served as the primary advisor and lead strategist regarding county-wide policies, procedures, and programs to the President. During her leadership, she oversaw the County’s $4 billion budget, including all the county property and buildings’ capital development efforts. In addition, she managed and evaluated the performance of all bureaus and departments under the President’s jurisdiction and worked in collaboration with the Board of Commissioners and with the elected officials to ensure efficiency in the operation of the Cook County Government. Kimberly Foxx also chaired and served on various committees as assigned by the President during her service as Chief of Staff. She remained in the Office of the Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle for about two and a half months, from April of 2013 to August of 2015, prior to becoming the Cook County State’s Attorney in December of 2016.
Honors and Awards
With her intensive knowledge and dedicated service to the public, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has received numerous honors and awards. She was honored as a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow in 2009 and as a Diversity Leadership Fellow by the Illinois State Bar Association in 2010. Kimberly Foxx has also been awarded the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice Commitment to Justice Award in 2012 in recognition for her work in bail reform. In 2014, Cook County State’s Attorney Fox was also honored as an Edgar Fellow under the Edgar Fellows Program of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.
Accomplishments of Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx: First Term
As the incumbent Cook County State’s Attorney in her second term, Kimberly Foxx has undertaken several criminal justice reforms, which shifted the Office’s focus to equity and public safety. During her first term, Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx has remodeled the Conviction Integrity Unit of the Office and has managed to overturn convictions in over 80 cases, resulting in the first-ever mass exoneration in the Cook County, which involved the acquittal of the 15 men whose convictions were a result of misconduct by a Chicago Police Officer. Apart from revamping the Conviction Integrity Unit, Kimberly Foxx has also been an advocate and bond reform leader. She has pushed to provide a second chance for those low-level, non-violent, first-time offenders by instructing prosecutors to grant recognizance bonds where appropriate, as well as review bond decisions, particularly in cases where individuals have been detained as a consequence of not being able to pay bonds of $1,000 or less. To add to that, Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx has taken the lead in prioritizing resources and adjusting the focus from low-level offenses to violent crimes. The Office’s change puts greater importance on violent criminal offenses by elevating the threshold for the approval of felony charges for retail theft to $1,000 and refusing to prosecute misdemeanor traffic offenses for failure to pay tickets fines.
Along with the modification in the Conviction Integrity Unit and the changes within the bond reform, Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx became the first and the only prosecutor in the country to have made felony case-level data available to the public. The unrestricted data portal comes with the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s goal to become the most transparent prosecutor’s office in the United States, providing unprecedented access and transparency into the work of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Another distinguished accomplishment of Kimberly Foxx during her first four years as the Cook County State’s Attorney is largely contributing to the passing of the legislation which legalizes cannabis. The approval of said law brings about the broadest and most equitable Cannabis Conviction Relief and Legalization possible, which remains a critical part of the process of righting the wrongs of the failed war on drugs that has, undoubtedly, disproportionately harmed communities of color. Ultimately, the conviction relief is a statement of Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx’s values and commitment to justice for all.
Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx’s Plans: Second Term
Throughout her re-election campaign, Kim Foxx asserted her intention to continue to fight in collaboration with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to perform reforming justice and create a fairer, safer system for Cook County. Her priorities during her second term in Office include continuing the criminal justice reform, which brings a change in the unfair criminal justice system that has disenfranchised low-income people and communities of color. Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx claims that she will continue to lead the Office as she has in her previous term, wherein the Office was able to exonerate 80 individuals from wrongful convictions and have enacted the bail reform and restrain the overcrowding of the county’s jail through the shift of emphasis on the detainment of violent criminal offenders. In the end, the goal is to make Cook County a model of criminal justice reform – bringing equity and fairness to the whole criminal justice system.
Under the jurisdiction of Kimberly Foxx in her last term, Cook County has seen a significant decrease in the number of violent crimes and incarceration rate because of the Office’s target to prioritize the prosecution of violent crime instead of low-level and non-violent offenses, as well as the efforts of the Office to increase the number of individuals that can take on diversion programs and seek mental health treatment and substance abuse services. On top of that, the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney managed to make the communities safer through the creation of the Crime Strategies Taskforce, which has a goal to partner with prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to efficiently handle investigations, prosecutions, and other matters in criminal cases.
In line with the Office’s effort to shift the focus to violent crimes, Cook County State’s Attorney Fox took on the lead to work on the wrongs of the War on Drugs by eliminating the records of over a thousand low-level marijuana offenders as a part of the legalization of marijuana in the States of Illinois. Besides, Kimberly Foxx aims to do better during her second term, particularly regarding protecting Cook County against former President Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric.
Office Jurisdiction
Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx is currently responsible for overseeing a staff of more than 700 talented and dedicated attorneys and over 1,100 employees. On top of managing the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the nation.
Aspirations and Future Goals of Kim Foxx
Kimberly M. Foxx has committed 12 years of her life serving as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney, becoming the incumbent State’s Attorney for the Cook County. Her first four years in the Office focused on criminal justice reform, which has shifted the Office’s overall priorities to the prosecution of violent crime and re-strategizing with regards to the Office’s use of resources. In the upcoming four years, Kim Fox plans to continue the dynamic shift in the criminal justice system of Cook County, with an ultimate goal to make the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney, the model of criminal justice reform.
Contact Details
Full Name: Kimberly M. Foxx
District/State: Cook County State
Public email ID: info@kimfoxx.com | statesattorney@cookcountyil.gov
Website: https://www.cookcountystatesattorney.org/
Cook County State’s Attorney
69 W. Washington, Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 603-1880
Main
statesattorney@cookcountyil.gov
E-mail Address
Kim Foxx Campaign
P.O. Box 3496 | Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 508-3198
Main
info@kimfoxx.com
E-mail Address
Campaign Website: https://www.kimfoxx.com/
Office Directory
Please find the list of the locations and phone numbers of the Cook County State’s Attorney below.
Please direct all e-mail inquiries to:
statesattorney@cookcountyil.gov
Executive Offices
69 W. Washington, Suite 3200
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 603-1880
Leighton Criminal Courts Building
2650 S. California
Chicago, Illinois 60608
(773) 674-2700
Juvenile Justice Bureau
1100 S. Hamilton Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 433-7000
(847) 433-4781 (TDD)
First Municipal District
555 W. Harrison,
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 325-9200
Second Municipal District
5600 Old Orchard Road
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 470-7300
(847) 470-5970 (TDD)
Domestic Violence Division
555 W. Harrison,
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 325-9220
Third Municipal District
2121 Euclid Avenue
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
(847) 818-2326
(847) 818-2838 (TDD)
Fourth Municipal District
1500 Maybrook Avenue
Maywood, IL 60153
(708) 865-6080
(708) 865-6402 (TDD)
Victim/Witness Assistance Unit
2650 S. California Avenue, Chicago
(773) 674-7200
(773) 674-7494 (TDD)
Fifth Municipal District
10220 S. 76th Avenue
Bridgeview, IL 60455
(708) 974-6250
(708) 974-6380(TDD)
Sixth Municipal District
16501 Kedzie Avenue
Markham, IL 60428
(708) 232-4060
(708) 210-4190 (TDD)
Daley Center
500 Richard J. Daley Center
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 603-5440
(312) 603-7605 (TDD)
Child Support Enforcement
28 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 345-2200
(312) 345-2201 (TDD)
Community Justice Offices
Community Justice Center West
2650 S California Ave
Chicago, IL 60608
(708) 386-7301
(708) 386-7310 (Fax)
Community Justice Center North
5333 N. Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 334-4066
Community Justice Center Central
715 W. Maxwell Street
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 325-9700
(312) 325-9705 (Fax)
Community Justice Center South
16501 Kedzie Ave
Markham, IL 60428
(773) 783-5100
(773) 783-5120 (Fax)
Social Media Profiles of Kim Foxx
Username: Kimberly Foxx
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimfoxx/
Campaign Account
Username: Kim Foxx
URL: https://www.facebook.com/kimfoxx2020/
State’s Attorney’s Account
Username: Kim Foxx
URL: https://www.facebook.com/SAKimFoxx/
Username: kimfoxx
URL: https://www.instagram.com/kimfoxx/
YouTube
Username: Kim Foxx
URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ72Bka40KRPNlcEIOLu9-A
Linktree
URL: https://linktr.ee/kimfoxx
Twitter Fields
Personal account
Username: Kim Foxx
Tag: @KimFoxx
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”KimFoxx”]
The account of the State’s Attorney
Username: State’s Attorney Kim Foxx
Tag: @SAKimFoxx
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”SAKimFoxx”]
The account of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
Username: Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
Tag: @cookcountysao
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”cookcountysao”]
Updated: March 15, 2021