Judge Blames Lifelong Porn Viewing Addiction in Hearing to Keep Job
Will County Judge Joseph Polito told the Illinois Courts Commission Thursday that his habit did not affect his job or any judicial ruling he made.
Will County Judge Joseph Polito admitted to a nearly lifelong addiction to porn Thursday when addressing the Illiniois Courts Commission in an effort to keep his judicial position.
Polito, of Joliet, is quoted in an online Chicago Sun-Times story as being shamed by the revelation that he was viewing pornography on his computer while at work, but that it did not affect his performance as a judge.
The addiction began when he was a child, Polito said, and he is now receiving professional help, attends a Sexuality Anonymous support group twice weekly and hasn’t used porn in more than a year, according to the story.
“I used pornography as a crutch to deal with my feelings of inadequacy,” he told the commission. “For 60 years this was an inner conflict—I was ashamed, I didn’t feel good about it and tried to stop. The only way I knew to address it was in a confession with a priest.”
A decision is the case will be issued at a future date, the story said.
forget me
11:50 pm on Saturday, December 1, 2012
Honestly with a lot of kids dying from heroin I could care less about this. Either take down the big dealers or create a free gov rehab
Linda Carson
10:57 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The guy is a FAMILY Court Justice. He was viewing teenagesextape.com at work on a computer WE pay for. He got a 60-day vacation and will receive a pension.
It's news.
Mildred Frackenbottom
11:03 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
ILLINOIS' WILL COUNTY JUDGE POLITO & HIS ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS OVERSEEING THE DREW PETERSON TRIAL WHILE PROMOTING DERRICK SMITH'S CRIMINAL DEFENSE, EDDIE WINTERS' CROSS-COUNTRY JURISDICTION, DOMESTIC TERRORISM, INTERNATIONAL HUMAN-CHILD-SEX TRAFFICKING, CHILD PORNOGRAGPHY, & FINANCIAL SECURITIES FRAUD MUST RESIGN TO UPHOLD THE INTEGRITY OF THE UNITED STATES' JUDICIARY & PROSECUTED WITH THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW U.S. AG
SouthtownStar Editorial + August 25, 2012
We believe that public officials must be held to a higher standard of conduct than the average citizen, and none more so than a judge.
The nature and authority of the office demand that a judge avoid illegal or improper behavior, lest he damage the public’s perception and confidence in the court system and his effectiveness in dispensing justice.
For that reason, Will County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Polito should resign from the bench.
The Illinois Judiciary Board, which investigates alleged misconduct by judges, has filed charges against Polito, who recently admitted using his work computer to try to access pornography sites while in his chambers on five days in 2011. His attorney says he’s going through counseling for his behavior.
Mildred Frackenbottom
11:03 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Polito, 69, a judge since 2006, tried to log on to porn sites 243 times during those days but was blocked by filtering software designed to stop county employees from using non-work-related websites, according to county records obtained last spring by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The newspaper’s request for the computer log in May 2011 led Chief Circuit Court Judge Gerald Kinney to order an inquiry into the unusual activity on Polito’s computer and later reassign the judge from divorce court to misdemeanor cases.
The judiciary board’s charges will be heard by the Illinois Courts Commission. In a filing with the commission this month, Polito admits trying to view porn during work hours and knowing there was a policy against such conduct. He acknowledges that his behavior “brought the judicial office into disrepute” but denies that it has damaged the “integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”
The key is his admission to bringing disrepute to the bench. We don’t see how Polito can command the necessary respect or effectively sit in judgment of others in light of his transgression.
The courts commission will conduct a hearing and can impose a penalty ranging from a reprimand to removal from the bench. Polito should avoid such a proceeding and resign.