Pablo F. deCastro: In his own words

Pablo F. deCastro is a candidate for the countywide Flannery, Jr. vacancy. His punch number is 141.

Hello, My name is Pablo deCastro.

I am running for judge in a county-wide vacancy (The vacancy of James P. Flannery). I would like to thank Jack Leyhane for the opportunity to tell voters a little bit about myself, and I would like to thank any voters who are taking the time to read this.

I am the Democratic Party-endorsed candidate in my race. I have been found qualified or recommended by all bar associations (15 in total, since the Advocate Society joined in this year). I am endorsed by the CFL, Personal-Pac, Am-Vote-Pac, IVO/IPO, Girl I Guess and several independent democratic organizations including 22nd ward, 28th Ward, 47th Ward, 40th Ward, Evanston, Proviso, New Trier, Thornton, Rich, Bloom and others. I have been all over the county gaining support wherever I go, and I hope to gain your support too. Thanks for reading.

I am a graduate of the University of Chicago and the Tulane University School of Law. I have been a trial attorney in Chicago for 29 years, litigating at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts. I began my career with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, where I handled all kinds of criminal cases, defending the city’s most vulnerable communities. I left the public defender’s office in order to broaden my experience. In small firms I expanded my criminal defense experience into federal and appellate work and also handled civil cases involving injuries and small business corporate litigation. Since 2012 I have been in solo practice focused on public defender work through the federal public defender’s panel attorney program as well as civil litigation primarily through volunteer programs run by the Chicago Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights.

I have handled cases in 12 different counties in Illinois as well as federal trial courts in seven other states and appeals in Illinois state courts, three federal appellate circuit courts and the United States Supreme Court, where I have been admitted to practice since 2001. My experience includes complex cases such as RICO prosecutions, international extradition issues, extended jury trials in state and federal court, complex appeals and post-conviction petitions. I have handled jury trials and appeals in both civil and criminal matters over 29 years of active litigation practice. This broad experience earned me the distinction of being named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, and a position as an instructor in Trial Practice at the University of Chicago Law School.

My work has always been inspired by my parents, who came to this country from Cuba when they were only 18 and 21 years old. They worked hard to put themselves through school, and also reached back to help others. They instilled in me the values of hard work, and the importance of education, but also the importance of service to others. My mother became a lawyer when I was young. She told me that lawyers help people. It has always been my understanding that the practice of law is and should be about service to the community. I have focused on work that I believe helps the most vulnerable. Criminal defense, particularly for indigent clients, puts me on the front line defending due process and individual rights. Although I defend people in connection with terrible crimes, (As has been noted by Injustice Watch, this list includes one defendant charged in connection with the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capital, a case for which I was appointed as a federal public defender.) In these representations I am not defending the crime itself. I am defending the Constitutional framework of equal rights and due process. In court the judge is there to guarantee fairness and due process. My career fighting for the same fairness has prepared me well for a new role on the bench. I look forward to a career as a judge, where I can continue my service to individual rights, equal access to the courts, and due process for everyone.