Cook County Judge E. Kenneth Wright Jr., a powerful pillar of the judiciary for decades, is facing new scrutiny from the legal community following an Injustice Watch report that he took inappropriate property tax exemptions in another county.The rare spotlight on a sitting judge — coming as early voting is underway in the Nov. 5 election — has already prompted the Illinois State Bar Association to rescind its previous support and advise a no vote for his retention to the bench. A second prominent bar association, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, downgraded its rating of Wright from “well qualified” to “qualified.”After the report earlier this month, Wright asked to remove his two Joliet homeowner exemptions, according to Carol Pellegrini, secretary to the Will County supervisor of assessments.The Illinois Constitution requires judges to live in the jurisdiction they serve, and state law allows homeowners to benefit from exemptions only on their “principal residence.”Wright has declined numerous interview requests by Injustice Watch.A third prominent bar group, the Chicago Bar Association, initially found Wright qualified for retention but now lists his evaluation as “pending.” That group asked Wright to appear before them Wednesday to explain his residency status but had not issued a new evaluation as of Thursday afternoon. Wright, 83, oversees 40 other judges as presiding judge of Cook County’s First Municipal District, where evictions, small claims, misdemeanor, housing, and other cases are heard. For decades, he has served on the executive committee of Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, which advises Evans on colleagues accused of misconduct and judges’ assignments. Evans scheduled an Oct. 11 meeting of the executive committee to discuss Wright’s conduct, then bumped it to Nov. 6 — the day after the upcoming election — citing “scheduling conflicts,” according to Evans’ spokesperson. Related 2 Cook County judges claim homeowner exemptions in Will County Wright has an extensive history of leadership in Illinois bar groups and judicial associations. The state association's rating notes: “He is a past president of the Chicago Bar Association and has continued to be a committee member. He has been a board of governors and assembly member for the Illinois State Bar Association, as well as a committee chair for the Illinois Judges Association. In addition, he sits on Supreme Court committees and is an editorial board member for the CBA Record.”But this month, Wright became one of only seven judges with any negative ratings so far from the bar associations evaluating the 77 circuit and appellate judges facing retention in the upcoming election.On Tuesday, the state association cited his residency conflicts when it recommended against his retention.“The committee has concerns regarding his level of candor concerning the recently identified residency and property tax homestead issues,” the ISBA wrote.A week earlier, the Chicago Council of Lawyers downgraded Wright’s status after Wright appeared before the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening on Oct. 7 to explain his residency conflicts.While the state bar association questioned his candor, the Council of Lawyers wrote: “Judge Wright’s forthright handling of the matter, coupled with a strong history of professionalism on the bench, leads the council to find him qualified for retention.” The council found Wright “well qualified” when he last ran for retention in 2018.Of the 13 bar groups participating in the alliance meeting, eight decided to maintain Wright’s positive rating. Four alliance members had not yet released their evaluations of Wright. So far, the sole member of the alliance to call Wright “not qualified for retention” was the Illinois State Bar Association.In 2018 — more than two decades into his tenure as a Cook County judge — Wright asked the Will County supervisor of assessments to give him a senior citizen property tax break on the Joliet home.At the time, Wright presented government identification to verify his age and signed a sworn affidavit he occupied that house as his “principal residence,” according to records, interviews, and Wright’s recent effort to rescind the exemption.He also has benefited from a standard homeowner exemption on the property since before becoming a judge in 1994.Wright’s exemptions saved him $1,414 in 2023 and roughly $1,000 per year in the four previous years — cutting his property tax bill on the Joliet house by $5,549 since 2019.Injustice Watch discovered the conflicts during research for its 2024 judicial election guide. Kelly Garcia and David Jackson report for Injustice Watch, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit journalism organization. This article first appeared on Injustice Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. Sign up here to get their weekly newsletter.