--- title: 'NEW VOICES: Former Prosecutors, Judges and U.S. Attorneys Urge Illinois Governor to Sign Death Penalty Repeal' description: 'A group of over 60 former state and federal prosecutors, judges, and other law enforcement officials recently wrote to Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois…' canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-voices-former-prosecutors-judges-and-u-s-attorneys-urge-illinois-governor-to-sign-death-penalty-repeal' section: news date: '2011-02-09T18:44:51-05:00' updated: '2025-03-14T14:22:33-04:00' source: 'Death Penalty Information Center' --- A group of over 60 former state and federal prosecutors, judges, and other law enforcement officials recently wrote to **Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois** urging him to sign the bill passed by the General Assembly to repeal the death penalty. The law would also transfer state funds used for the death penalty to a fund for murder victims' services and law enforcement work. The group cited the death penalty's ineffectiveness in deterring violent crime and its high cost of implementation as the primary reasons for ending the death penalty. The letter stated, " Throughout Illinois, law enforcement officials are struggling to find needed dollars for police, forensic investigations, and aggressive prosecution of a wide range of criminal activity. The vast sums that would be spent on the death penalty in the years ahead are sorely needed for other, more effective law enforcement purposes." The letter also cautioned against retaining the death penalty in order to obtain guilty pleas in exchange for life sentences, saying that "using the death penalty as an instrument of coercion has led to false pleas and erroneous convictions." And merely limiting the death penalty, the group said, " would not solve the underlying flaws that inevitably occur when the authorities are under pressure to win convictions in high-profile cases." **See below for list of signatories**. Cynthia Giacchetti Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Breen Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney James B. Burns Former U.S. Attorney Stuart Chanen Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick M. Collins Former Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Conlon Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent J. Connelly Former Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Cotsirilos Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney William Cousins Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey H. Cramer Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Crowl Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph J. Duffy Former First Assistant U.S. Attorney & Chief of the Criminal Division Thomas A. Durkin Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Zack Fardon Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel A. Fuentes Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris C. Gair Former Assistant U.S. Attorney John N. Gallo Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Greiman Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice Ted S. Helwig Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Brown Holmes Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Gary V. Johnson Former Kane County State’s Attorney Walter Jones Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael H. King Former Assistant U.S. Attorney For Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice Organized Crime and Racketeering Section John Kocoras Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Kowal Former U.S. Department of Justice Attorney Michael Kreloff Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General Scott Lassar Former U.S. Attorney Marvin Leavitt Former Cook County Appellate Court Justice Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge George N. Leighton Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice Former U.S. District Court Judge Lori E. Lightfoot Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Loeb Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Jeremy Margolis Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Former Special Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney (Prosecutor of Hector Ruben Sanchez) William J. Martin Former Assistant Cook County State's Attorney (Chief Prosecutor of Richard Speck) Mary Ann G. McMorrow Former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Paddy McNamara Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Michael D. Monico Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Montes Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Sheila Murphy Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Gordon B. Nash, Jr. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Nollar Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark D. Pollack Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel M. Purdom Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kwame Y. Raoul Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Daniel E. Reidy Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Dom J. Rizzi Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice Ron S. Safer Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen A. Schiller Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge John R. Schmidt Former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Zaldwaynaka Scott Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shields Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Charles B. Sklarsky Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Michele Smith Former Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. Spizzirri Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney David J. Stetler Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Stone Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanette Sublet Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney James R. Streicker Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General Thomas P. Sullivan Former U.S. Attorney James R. Thompson Former U.S. Attorney Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General Ann C. Tighe Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Turow Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Vesselinovitch Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb Former U.S. Attorney Warren D. Wolfson Judge Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Sheldon T. Zenner Former Assistant U.S. Attorney ([Letter to Governor Quinn](/documents/QuinnLetter.pdf), January 21, 2011). See [**Costs**](/costs-death-penalty?did=108&scid=7), [**Deterrence**](/facts-about-deterrence-and-death-penalty?scid=12&did=167) and [**Recent Legislative Activity**](/recent-legislative-activity?did=236&scid=40).