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Judge Tells Cop: 'Touch My Butt'

By George Khoury, Esq. on June 10, 2019

It's just plain common sense: You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, and you don't ask cops to touch your butt in the courthouse, even if you're a judge.

But last year, one Cook County judge made headlines for his alleged inappropriate behavior. And now, more details have come to light, including the allegation that after Judge Mauricio Araujo had his attempt to kiss an officer thwarted by her stiff-arm technique, he actually asked her to "touch my butt."  But wait, there's more (despicable conduct, that is)!

Indecent Solicitation

In the courthouse, people are expected to behave with decorum, and act professionally towards each other. Nevertheless, the judge actually (allegedly) tried to solicit a court reporter to have sex with him for money while the two were riding in a courthouse elevator together. When the court reporter tried to chalk it up as a bad joke, the judge pressed on, telling her that he was not joking, then asked again.

These allegations of attempted butt touching, kissing, and solicitation, came out after the judge was accused of making inappropriate statements about a prosecutor appearing in court whom he went to law school with. After an investigation was started regarding these comments, the officer and court reporter came forward to share their experiences with Araujo.

Judges Too

Notably, neither the officer, nor the court reporter, came forward until the investigation started. The court reporter stopped using the courthouse elevator to avoid future encounters with Araujo, and explained that she never reported the incident because she feared retaliation for making a complaint against a sitting judge.

In these times, thanks to the #MeToo movement, the first complaint is often the catalyst to more complaints coming out. This is a good result, as this sort of conduct and behavior has no place in courthouse, or any other workplace.

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