Cook County Circuit Court Judge, Vanessa A. Hopkins...Guilty of Dodging Work....Definitely.

Wouldn't all of us as hard working, law abiding citizens like to take 206 sick days out of a 365 day year? Of course. That's what makes this Cook County Circuit Court Judge absolutely out of line. Judge Vanessa A. Hopkins has seriously racked up 206 sick days within the last year. Sources say that they tried to contact Judge Hopkins via telephone and she is hopeful that she gets better returning to health in due time and back to court as soon as she can.

Supposedly a shoulder injury is what has been holding Judge Hopkins, one rotator cuff injury, and that is all. This specific Judge is not the only one supposedly guilty of this act. The issues of sick and vacation time for quite a handful if not many more seem to be extremely relevant and possibly problematic. An inquiry from Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke researched and focused on the events about the extended absences of some if not many of the Cook County Jurists. There was some proof confirmed in a letter that 20 of the system's 411 judges had taken more than 30 sick days for a variety or reasons from everything from deadly sicknesses to psychiatric/psychological problems. Another support to the claim is that being a Judge, just like any other human with an occupation, means that they are only human and are susceptible and vulnerable to any frailty, illness or disease just like any other.

Supposedly, according to the law, Judges are permitted to take less than 29 sick days without a Dr.'s note. If in fact, a judge needs more than thirty days, he or she will need to provide a medical specification and verification! Fancy that!!!

Judge Hopkins claims that she wasn't quite sure how long she had been absent and was unaware of the longevity due to the severity of the medications and the pain she was enduring. She has to present date been absent for 206 days from her Daley Center courtroom where she receives an average of $178K per year, and handles many, many civil cases.

Judge Hopkins has many reasons to support her claim that this is reasonable and just! Really!

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