An alleged “pink slime” journalism site may be breaking the law when it comes to exposing addresses of elected judges.
A recent investigation by WBEZ in Chicago shows that websites operated by Lake Forest-based Local Government Information Services or LGIS has identified at least all or in part addresses for several high-profile citizens, including those who are in law enforcement or in the judiciary.
LGIS and its owner Brian Timpone is currently being sued by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul or allegedly breaking state election law by publishing privileged voter information held by the State Board of Elections. The state lawsuit alleged the company’s actions, which date back to January, subjected Illinois voters to possible identity theft.
A Lake County judge overseeing that still-pending case ordered LGIS in May to remove specific birth dates and home address street numbers for voters identified on the company’s websites.
Much of that information still remains somewhat intact via the West Central Reporter, the publication that covers most of the listening area.
Names matching judges and law enforcement in the area are readily accessible through a simple search on the site. Some area units of government have also recently stated in meetings of being spammed with FOIA requests by representatives of the West Central Reporter. The addresses for the FOIA requests have all come from out of state, and do not involve any local media members.
On other sites federal judges, Illinois Supreme Court judges, well-known citizens, and more still are readily found through searches.
The state has a law called the Illinois Judicial Privacy Act, enacted in 2012 and inspired by the 2005 murders of of the husband and mother of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow by a disgruntled and delusional litigant, who later killed himself, bars the publication of judges’ home addresses if a judge requests the information be removed. Anyone who posts such information, knowing it potentially poses a threat to a judge and harm actually ensues, could be charged with a felony.
That law does not provide protections to prosecutors, police officers, prison guards, revenue agents or child-welfare caseworkers.
In a request for comment, Timpone said that the reason for the posting of the information was to fight against voter fraud and verify that real people have been voting in elections. He said that that the impetus of protections on voter identity rests with the State Board of Elections and that law enforcement and judges can call LGIS to have information removed.
To see if your name is on the list, visit the West Central Reporter website and type in your name in the search bar.