By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Cook County voters retained Judge Theresa Molina Gonzalez with 71% support in a recent retention election, according to a local television report. The figure has not been independently confirmed against Cook County Clerk results.
The vote came after public comments from two women who said they were attacked by the same man, Lawrence Reed. Bethany MaGee, who was burned in an attack on a CTA Blue Line train, said she wants the court system to do more to protect women from repeat offenders.
“I hope the women of Chicago will be kept safe from attacks by repeat offenders,” MaGee said in a written statement reported by the local television outlet.
A second woman, who said Reed punched her in an attack in the Loop in 2021, said in the same report that the judge should not have kept her seat. Asked whether Molina Gonzalez should remain on the bench, she said no, “based on that alone.”
The local television report did not detail Molina Gonzalez’s specific rulings in cases connected to Reed, and the station that produced the segment was not identified in the broadcast rebroadcasting it. Reed’s full criminal history and the judge’s role in his prior releases were not described in the available reporting.
Cook County holds retention elections for sitting judges, who must receive 60% approval from voters to remain on the bench. Judicial retention races typically draw little public attention compared with contested races, but MaGee’s and the second victim’s comments drew notice to Molina Gonzalez’s seat.
Additional details on Molina Gonzalez’s case history, the date of the MaGee attack, and the extent of her injuries were not available in the source material reviewed for this report.
