Anita Alvarez is the Cook County State's Attorney

Cook County State's Attorney

Cook County State's Attorney is second largest prosecutor's office in the nation. The office has nearly 900 attorneys and 1,600 employees, and has an annual operating budget of approximately $131 million for fiscal year 2010....

. Alvarez is the "first Hispanic

Hispanic and Latino Americans

Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...

 woman" elected to this position. She also was the "first Latina" to win the Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 nomination

Nomination

Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...

 for state attorney of Cook County

Cook County, Illinois

Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...

.

Legal career and entry into politics

Prior to attaining this position, Anita Alvarez served as the Chief Deputy of the Cook County

Cook County, Illinois

Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...

 State’s Attorney’s Office, Chief of Staff to Cook County State’s Attorney Richard A. Devine

Richard A. Devine

Richard A. "Dick" Devine was the State's Attorney of Cook County, Illinois, United States from 1996 to 2008. He was elected to his third term in November 2004. Devine is a graduate of Loyola Academy, Loyola University Chicago, and the Northwestern University School of Law...

, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Bureau, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Bureau and Supervisor of the Public Integrity Unit.

2008 General Election

Anita Alvarez was elected as Cook County State's Attorney in November 2008. Alvarez faced two challengers from both the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 and Green Party

Green Party (United States)

The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...

 in November 2008's general election. The two challengers were Cook County Commissioner

Cook County Board of Commissioners

The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district for four year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the nation's second largest county with a population of 5.2 million residents...

 for the 16th district Tony Peraica

Tony Peraica

Anthony J. "Tony" Peraica was the Cook County Commissioner for the 16th district, and was the Republican nominee for Cook County Board President in 2006.-Life:...

, and the Green Party's Thomas O'Brien.

Past election history

|-
| colspan=10 |2008 Democratic Primary for the Office for Cook County

Cook County, Illinois

Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...

 State's Attorney
|-
!Candidate
!Votes
!Percentage
|-
|Anita Alvarez
|138,187
|24.96%
|-
|Tom Allen
|131,298
|23.72%
|-
|Howard B. Brookins Jr.

Howard Brookins Jr.

Howard Brookins Jr. is the Alderman of the 21st Ward of the City of Chicago. He was elected in 2003 and is currently serving his second term.-Early life:...

|125,000
|22.58%
|-
|Larry Suffredin

Larry Suffredin

Larry Suffredin is Commissioner for the 13th district of Cook County, Illinois, which he has served since 2003.- Early life :Suffredin's father, Lawrence J. Suffredin Sr., entered the Army in 1942 and served until 1945, with combat service in Africa and Europe. Lawrence J. Suffredin Sr...

|110,295
|19.92%
|-
|Robert J. Milan
|27,576
|4.98%
|-
|Tommy H. Brewer
|21,289
|3.85%
|-

Awards

In 2001, Alvarez was honored as Person of the Year by Chicago Lawyer magazine.

In 2009, Alvarez received an honor from the March of Dimes

March of Dimes

The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...

 at its annual breakfast.

Criticism

Alvarez has been intensely criticized by groups concerned with wrongful convictions. In 2011, the Innocence Project

Innocence Project

An Innocence Project is one of a number of non-profit legal organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand dedicated to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing, and to reforming the criminal justice systems to...

 launched a petition criticizing her refusal to act on new DNA evidence that exonerates nine men convicted of rapes and homicides, five of whom remain incarcerated.

Early life

Alvarez graduated from St. Paul - Our Lady of Vilna School in Chicago. She attended Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...

 as an undergraduate, and Chicago-Kent College of Law

Chicago-Kent College of Law

Chicago–Kent College of Law, the law school affiliated with Illinois Institute of Technology, is nationally recognized for the scholarship and accomplishments of its faculty and student body. It is the second oldest law school in the state of Illinois. Many of the applications of technology in the...

 as a law student.

Current Work

Anita Alvarez is currently pursuing charges against Tiawanda Moore who is being charged with recording a police officer's inappropriate sexual advances towards her. According to the Huffington Post "When Chicago police answered a domestic disturbance call at the home of Tiawanda Moore and her boyfriend in July 2010, the officers separated the couple to question them individually. Moore was interviewed privately in her bedroom. According to Moore, the officer who questioned her then came on to her, groped her breast and slipped her his home phone number." In Illinois it is against the law to record anyone, audio or visual, without his or her consent.

Sources

• Cook County State's Attorney's Office Anita Alvarez, State's Attorney www.statesattorney.org Retrieved: 2010-04-08.

External links

• Anita Alvarez's Campaign Website