William Raines Removed

William Raines, a former Cook County, Illinois Circuit Court judge, resigned in 2022 after comments he made following a livestreamed January 2022 hearing became public. After defense attorney Jennifer Bonjean — representing Roosevelt Myles in a wrongful conviction case — left the Zoom hearing, Raines was caught on the still-live stream describing her demeanor to others in the virtual courtroom as "entertaining," saying: "Did you see her going nuts? Glasses off, fingers through her hair, the phone's going all over the place. What's up with this?"

The comments, condemned as sexist, led to Raines being reassigned and ordered to attend sensitivity training before he ultimately resigned. Because he resigned before the Illinois Courts Commission could rule, that judicial misconduct complaint was later dismissed for lack of jurisdiction — but in August 2024, the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) filed a new complaint against Raines in his capacity as a licensed attorney over the same comments. Raines admitted making the statements but denied wrongdoing.