DePaul alum running for 6th subcircuit judge

A DePaul alumnus is among several candidates pursuing the judge's seat in the 6th subcircuit court in Cook County.

Carlos Claudio, a Chicago native, is a "double Demon": he graduated from DePaul in 1995 with a B.A. in Political Science, and also received his Juris Doctore in Criminal Law in 2002 at DePaul.

Claudio will attempt to fill the seat vacated by Judge Delgado in the 6th subcircuit court. As of Dec. 8, eight other candidates will also campaign for the seat.

Several of the 15 subcircuit courts will have elections. The subcircuit courts were created in 1992 by Cook County to enable groups, particularly minorities, to elect representatives from within their own communities.

Claudio, who has worked as an attorney in both criminal and civil courts, said that presiding over the subcircuit court as judge would be as much about serving the people who elect him as it would be meting out justice.

"Justice isn't blind," Claudio said. "It's filtered through judges...a judge needs to be connected to the community he serves."

As an attorney, Claudio often saw people in court for the first time, nervous and uncertain how to behave before a judge, get reprimanded for their ignorance. Rarely did he see a judge or clerk take the time to explain the rules, or answer the individuals questions.

It's that lack of connection and respect, Claudio believes, that has eroded the people's trust in its courts, and its government in general. If elected, he means to change that.

Claudio's years at DePaul played a role in shaping his view of social service and advocacy. The university had its challenges, but Claudio liked that DePaul had always been receptive to dialogue with its students.

Victoria Romero, Claudio's friend and fellow DePaul alum, says that even in university, Claudio was "a natural born leader", who was active both within DePaul's Latino community and his home community of Logan Square. Claudio "has lived that mission (the Vincentian mission) his entire life," Romero said. "Community means everything to him."

Alejandra Ibanez, another DePaul alumna and co-founder of the DePaul Alliance for Latino Empowerment (D.A.L.E), agrees. Ibanez worked closely with Claudio on various activism projects throughout their time at DePaul together, and continue to do so today.

"He was highly engaged" in D.A.L.E and the community, Ibanez recalled. "He has a commitment to giving back to the community...when he told me he was running for judge, I thought he'd be perfect."

Claudio, whose campaign slogan is "justice before politics" wants to see improved relations between the community and the government, but believes that both the people and the government need to take steps to restore confidence. He pointed to the recent sentencing of former governor Rod Blagojevich as an example.

"What Judge Zagel did was an important step--harsh, but necessary," Claudio said. "Judges need to be cognizant that we can't treat these things (corruption) lightly."

On the flip side, citizens need to be more engaged in the election process, and more aware of public affairs.

When people are not engaged in the process and vetting their candidates, that is how corruption gets into government, Claudio explained.

If elected, Claudio wants to "get rid of assumptions" about the justice system, and make respect a mainstay. He hopes that, eventually, that attitude will spread and strengthen community-government relations.

"It begins with a conversation," he explained. "They seem like little things, but they go a long way for trust."

Primary election for subcircuit courts is March 20. The general election is Nov. 6, 2012 which coincides with the presidential general election.