The Illinois Court Commission has officially removed Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Robert Adrian from his position, WGEM reported.
This extraordinary action comes in the wake of a deeply controversial ruling where Adrian reversed the rape conviction of an 18-year-old accused of assaulting a 16-year-old girl during a graduation party.
The Commission’s statement was unequivocal:
The Code and the Commission’s precedent provide ample grounds for removal in this case. Respondent has engaged in multiple instances of misconduct, he abused his position of power to indulge his own sense of justice while circumventing the law, he lied under oath on multiple occasions, and he has failed to acknowledge his misconduct. Much more was required of respondent. “A judge has a position of power and prestige in a democratic society espousing justice for all persons under law. The role of the judge in the administration of justice requires adherence to the highest standard of personal and official conduct. Of those to whom much is committed, much is demanded. A judge, therefore, has the responsibility of conforming to a higher standard of conduct than is expected of lawyers or other persons in society.”
Based on our findings in this case and Commission precedent, we conclude the only appropriate sanction is to remove respondent from the office of circuit court judge, effective immediately. It is so ordered.
The saga began when Judge Adrian overturned his own guilty verdict in the case of 18-year-old Drew Clinton, accused of sexually assaulting 16-year-old Cameron Vaughan.
Despite the conviction in October 2021, Adrian reversed his decision in January 2022, stating that incarcerating Clinton would be unjust given his clean record.
“He [Clinton] has no prior record, none whatsoever. By law, the court is supposed to sentence this young man to the Department of Corrections. … This court will not do that. That is not just. There is no way for what happened in this case that this teenager should go to the Department of Corrections. I will not do that,” Adrian said in his ruling at the time.
Daily Mail reported, “According to court transcripts, after he reversed Clinton’s conviction, Adrian blamed parents and adults for ‘having parties for teenagers, and they allow coeds and female people to swim in their underwear in their swimming pool. And, no, underwear is not the same as swimming suits.’”
“He added: ‘It’s just — they allow 16-year-olds to bring liquor to a party. They provide liquor to underage people, and you wonder how these things happen. Well, that’s how these things happen. The court is totally disgusted with that whole thing,” the outlet added.
Following the controversial reversal, the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board filed a complaint against Judge Adrian in June 2022. After months of deliberation and a two-day testimony in November, the Illinois Courts Commissions, empowered to impose discipline on judges, concluded their investigation, leading to the judge’s removal.
Calhoun County Judge Charles Burch is set to temporarily take over Adrian’s cases. The legal community and public now await the announcement of a permanent replacement.
Following the ruling, Adrian, who plans to retire, maintained his stance, insisting on his integrity and decision-making during the controversial hearing.
Below is the commission’s order for removal:
This story originally appeared on TheGateWayPundit
