Nearly two years after ex-U.S. Attorney John Lausch left office, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood formally opened the search for Chicago’s next top federal prosecutor, insisting that person’s priority must be to ensure “the policies and priorities of the Trump Administration” are implemented here.
“The importance of selecting a strong U.S. attorney who will understand the importance of implementing and enforcing our immigration laws, fight to stop rampant and rising criminal activity in Chicago, support our brave men and women in law enforcement, and prevent public corruption is now more critical than ever,” LaHood’s office said in a statement Tuesday.
The Peoria Republican also noted that the Northern District of Illinois has gone more than 22 months without a confirmed U.S. attorney. Under Acting U.S. Attorney Morris “Sonny” Pasqual, LaHood noted, “there has been a drop in convictions, with one of the lower indictment rates across the country.”
But LaHood also pointed out that the district “has a rich history of fighting crime and prosecuting public corruption” and “remains one of the busiest federal trial courts in the United States.”
The overall number of criminal cases filed in Chicago’s federal court has seen a notable decline over the years, records show. In 2011, the final full year of ex-U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s tenure, more than 900 criminal cases were filed.
That dropped to just under 700 in 2022, Lausch’s final full year, and just over 600 in 2024.
The saga over Lausch’s replacement dates back to early 2021, when then-President Joe Biden moved to replace most top federal prosecutors across the country. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats, urged Biden to keep Lausch in office to conclude “sensitive investigations.”
That was taken as a nod to the ongoing investigation into former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, who was indicted in 2022 and convicted at trial of bribery and wire fraud only two weeks ago.
Durbin and Duckworth supported Lausch even though he had been nominated by President Donald Trump in 2017. Lausch remained in the office until March 2023, when he left Pasqual in charge.
Biden nominated ex-federal prosecutor April Perry to replace Lausch in June 2023. But by then, Biden was more than halfway through his term. Then-U.S. Sen. JD Vance, an Ohio Republican, blocked Perry’s confirmation.
He insisted he did so to protest the indictments that had been handed up against Trump.
Perry’s nomination stalled. And in the end, Biden nominated Perry to become a federal judge. She was confirmed by the Senate in November. Trump returned to office in January, with Vance as his new vice president.
Meanwhile, LaHood made his comment about prioritizing Trump’s politics and policies amid increasing tumult within the Justice Department. It’s also been only one month since Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan came to Chicago to carry out a high-profile U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweep.
It also follows a bid by the Trump Administration to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove has argued that the criminal case against Adams would distract from Adams’ ability to assist the Trump Administration in its priorities.
But the move prompted a wave of Justice Department resignations. They included the resignation of an interim U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, who accused Bove of dangling a quid pro quo in which Adams would assist Trump’s immigration fight in return for dismissal of his criminal case.
No such drama has seeped into Chicago’s federal courthouse, so far. But that doesn’t mean the new administration isn’t making waves.
For example, four people convicted in 2023 of bribing Madigan on behalf of ComEd have asked a judge to put their prosecution on hold. In doing so, they pointed to a Trump executive order calling for a pause and review of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement.
Four of the nine counts in the ComEd bribery case are tied to the law.
The Justice Department’s revival of the death penalty under Trump has also complicated the prosecution of two convicted members of the Wicked Town street gang. A judge considering a new trial for the pair said Monday he wanted written arguments over whether it would violate their due process rights if prosecutors then wind up seeking the death penalty.