By Charlton (Chuck) Stanley, Weekend Contributor
The sad case of Cook County (Illinois) Judge Cynthia Brim has been discussed on this blog previously here and here. To sum up, she had a mental breakdown while holding traffic court on March 8, 2012.
She went on a paranoid rant, accusing police of targeting minorities for traffic tickets. For the next 45 minutes, she rambled on about her childhood as well as describing at least five prior hospitalizations for mental illness. During her rambling outburst, she told her audience she was once removed from the courtroom by paramedics after a previous breakdown.
Witnesses reported she said, “Not only men have balls, but women can have balls too. You just have to grow them.”
Someone reported her outburst to Chief Judge Brian Flaherty, who was having lunch at the time. Flaherty got up from his lunch and went directly to Judge Brim’s courtroom. After some persuasion, Judge Flaherty talked her into leaving the Courtroom.
The next day, she went to Daley Center dressed in hospital scrubs, a fur coat and a fur hat. No one recognized her as a judge at the security checkpoint. She reportedly shoved a deputy sheriff and threw her keys at him. She was arrested for misdemeanor battery. Later she was transported to a psychiatric hospital for an evaluation of her mental condition.
In the November 2012 General Election, she was reelected by an overwhelming majority vote, despite being ruled “unfit” by the Chicago Bar Association. However, she was not allowed to return to the courtroom, but did continue to draw her salary as an elected official.
She was tried on the assault charges in February 2013 and found not guilty by reason of insanity. Testimony showed Judge Brim had been having psychotic breaks since at least 1994, and had been hospitalized at least five times. She was diagnosed with a bipolar type of Schizoaffective Disorder a number of years ago, and had been prescribed antipsychotic medication for the condition. The history showed she made a practice of stopping her medications on her own, apparently as soon as she began to feel better.
Friday, May 9, Judge Cynthia Brim was removed from her position as a county court judge by the Illinois Courts Commission, which oversees the judiciary in Illinois. Her salary stops immediately. The Commission expressed sympathy for Judge Brim’s mental illness, but pointed out her own culpability in refusing to stay on her medications and failure to follow through with treatment when she needed it.
The 55 year old Brim is the first judge in more than a decade to be removed from the Bench during a term of office. In fact, only the seventh in the last forty years. In the unanimous ruling, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier wrote, “The public expects and deserves predictability in the judicial process, and the unpredictable and unrecognizable nature of (Brim’s) mental illness places the public at risk,” He went on to say that she had left the panel no choice by her refusal to stay in treatment.
My analysis of this sad situation:
When I first started in this business, what is now called Schizoaffective Disorder was called “Ambulatory Schizophrenia.” It is a strange disorder, because the patient can appear to be exceedingly normal much of the time. However, the facade of normalcy may be masking delusions, hallucinations, and a major disturbance of thought.
This is a treatable condition, and many people with Bipolar Disorder function quite well in society as long as they stay on the medications. However, it is not “curable” and is a lifelong condition. Like diabetes and some other chronic disorders, the patient can never go off their medications.
It is more treatable than true schizophrenia, and the treatment for both Bipolar Disorder and Schizoaffective Disorder are pretty much the same. The catch is that a self-proclaimed “flight into health” will never succeed. Sadly, Cynthia Brim does not have enough insight into her own condition to see that. Just because she may feel better does not mean she is better.
It is people like Cynthia Brim who create problems for others who may suffer from a similar disorder, but who stay in treatment. I hope she has learned something from this, but one of the best predictors of future behavior is past behavior. My sympathy to her and her family, because from all indications, the pattern is likely to repeat itself. I just hope that she is not one of those mentally ill people who get themselves killed or imprisoned because of their illness.
The full ruling of the Illinois Courts Commission is posted here on Scribd.
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The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
Jonathan, thanks for the intervention, although in my own mind you could have been even more aggressive. If you had not come along, I was developing an itchy trigger finger and was about to send this entire post to the trash due to the trolling, baiting and backbiting which makes rational conversation impossible. I have done that before, and am perfectly willing to do it again. The same can be said of a couple of other threads, especially Larry’s fine piece on the Kent State massacre. Although of course, it is up to Larry what he wants to do.
Ouch!
Father Malcolm Boyd, of Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Fransisco, said something to the effect that Jesus himself would not have understood the notion of a Trinity, especially the Holy Ghost part.
You are correct in that the version of Christianity preached today was the result of Paul co-opting a substantial portion of the teachings of Jesus.
As for the circumcision of an adult male. I worked on a case in Mississippi where this guy concluded that since Jesus was circumcised, he needed to be circumcised if he was to get into the kingdom of heaven. So far so good, but he was schizophrenic and made the circumcision a “do it yourself” project. He had a pine stump out in the back yard that he used to split firewood on with his double-bit axe. He kept that axe razor sharp, so in his mind, that was the solution to his dilemma. Pulling his Johnson out of his pants and laying it on the stump, he proceeded to DIY the circumcision. I suppose it is fortunate that although he was crazy as hell, he still had good aim. The story is both sad and funny. I will have to share it sometime.
Chuck – didn’t the Episcopalians have a bishop or archbishop who was an atheist?
Thank you Feynman, it’s interesting that you chose that particular one. Things have a funny way of working out. The truth be told and not the filtered disguised truth or Koch or Alec propaganda machine. Things really must have been easier before the Internet but the truth is out there.
keebler – since the GBers are often involved in the discussions, I think they are the least capable of deciding who should be moderated and when. For instance, I would be quicker on the trigger than Jonathan is. However, it is his blog, his roles.
But the greater Iago speech is:
Who steals my purse steals trash. ‘Tis something, nothing:
‘Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands.
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.
Iago stabs Emilia, his wife. His villainy is discovered at the play’s end and his last speech is:
Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word.”
Iago’s perfidy is discovered by the audience long before he kiills his wife. We know he is up to no good in Act I. Othello just doesn’t know, which is the major plot problem.
So Feynman, should I be worried that they spell it right so I won’t get put in a lake.
Keebler – take it for what it means, no more, no less.
And how are you reminded of Iago? Are you going to stab keebler in the back, figuratively?
I’m reminded of Iago.
Paul,
Pray tell what do you mean? Do you have the authority to ban folks? Are you saying because you don’t want me here you’re going to do something? Should I be scared or just annoyed?
Keebler – I would not get too cocky if I were you.
Why do you even engage with this person is more reflective of why you do. Not everyone has been banished from the court. The Duke is here to stay, ya hear me partner!
Bryon,
Yes and once many years ago, we did have a fire, the fire kilns got hotter than usual. Since then we have developed a fire evacuation plan. Thank you for asking.
I have deleted additional comments for violating the civility rules. Once again, the same people are coming to this blog to insult other posters despite my repeated warnings. If this continues, we will have no choice but to suspend those posters. We are not interested in personal attacks or characterizations on this blog. It is clear that some people only want to engage in such commentary and cannot resist in returning to this pattern. We have asked over and over again for you to either stop the attacks or to leave the blog.
Paul, You got it, I was referring to the court jester in As You Like it. Wow, why do we even engage w/ this person???
Then please do explain.
Bryon – when Keebler first came on he made references to his cookie background, etc.
Keebler – since he capitalized it, I think it may have a different meaning. And Nick and I have disagreed. We are polar opposites on some issues.
Mr Keebler:
I know I speak for many people when I say your pecan sandies are mighty fine cookies.
Do you live in that hollow tree and have you ever set fire to it?
http://www.keebler.com/products-cookies.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=keebler%20cookies&utm_content=Keebler_Phrase&utm_campaign=Intention_Brand&gclid=CL_rkoqxpb4CFdRQOgodgWQAfg
No Nick I don’t need to google up touchstone I took some very interesting geology courses. No need to check if I’m gold. The proof is here.