After serving two terms, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx will not seek re-election.
According to ABC 7 Chicago, Foxx made the announcement at the City Club of Chicago on April 25, saying, “I leave now with my head held high and my heart full.”
Foxx told Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson of her decision on April 24, and called him “the man of the moment,” whose election reminds her of her own first win in 2016.
While Foxx has been praised by some for her stances regarding bail and reforms, others have criticized her for being too soft on criminals—particularly with the case involving embattled gay actor Jussie Smollett. In addition, outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot publicly criticized Foxx for her decision not to charge five men who police linked to a deadly shootout in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood in 2021.
In a statement Windy City Times received, Johnson said, “Kim Foxx made history as the first Black woman elected as Cook County state’s attorney, and has been instrumental in working to reform the Conviction Bond Office, which has resulted in overturning nearly 200 wrongful convictions, expunging more than 15,000 cannabis crimes, and bringing equity to a criminal justice system that has long disenfranchised people and communities of color. She has led her office with dignity and civility, and as a colleague at the county level, I am grateful for the work that she has accomplished in her two terms. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”
—Andrew Davis