Cook County prosecutor Kim Foxx has announced that she will not seek re-election in 2024.
Foxx announced during a speech at the City Club of Chicago on Tuesday. She plans to complete her current term, which ends in December 2024.
Foxx gained public attention for handling the Jussie Smollett case, where the former "Empire" actor claimed to have been attacked by two men shouting racial and homophobic slurs. Foxx's office initially prosecuted Smollett before dropping the charges weeks later, leading to a review that found Foxx and others in her office made multiple false statements about the case.
A special prosecutor was then assigned, and Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct over the police reports. He was found guilty on five of six charges and is currently appealing his conviction for lying to police.
Foxx was criticized for handling the case and her dismissive attitude towards the conviction, referring to it as a "kangaroo prosecution." Foxx also faced scrutiny for dropping 25,000 felony cases, including those involving murder charges, during her tenure.
In 2020, left-wing activist George Soros donated $2 million to a PAC supporting Foxx. Foxx's decision not to seek re-election has raised questions about the future of criminal justice reform in Cook County.
Foxx's decision not to seek re-election has been met with mixed reactions, given her controversial handling of high-profile cases such as that of Jussie Smollett. It remains to be seen who will succeed her and how criminal justice reform will be impacted in Cook County moving forward.
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