Eileen O’Neill Burke sworn in as new Cook County State’s Attorney

CHICAGO - Eileen O’Neill Burke was sworn in as the new Cook County State’s Attorney on Monday.

O’Neill Burke, a Democrat, was elected last month to succeed Kim Foxx, who has served as the county’s top prosecutor for the last eight years. Foxx decided not to run for reelection this year.

She takes over a department with about 1,200 workers, the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the country. The office handles cases in Cook County, which has more than 5 million residents.

She has experience as a criminal defense attorney, a prosecutor and a judge. She spent a decade working as a Cook County assistant state's attorney and was elected to the First District Appellate Court in Cook County.

O’Neill Burke previously named her transition leadership team including Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd Ward), Anthony Driver, the president of the city's Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, and Arne Duncan, the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama.

As she takes office, O'Neill Burke said her priorities include stepped-up training for police and prosecutors, a new focus on juvenile justice and gun crimes. She'll have nine subcommittees that will tackle a range of issues including addiction and mental health, public corruption, conviction integrity, domestic violence, and hate crimes. 

The members of those committees will review procedures in the State's Attorney's Office and make recommendations to increase safety, ensure fairness, and strengthen operations.

O'Neill Burke has reportedly reached out to several attorneys who left the State's Attorney's Office under Foxx. Several state's attorneys quit amid turmoil in the department.

In last month’s general election, O’Neill Burke earned 67.4% of the vote, defeating her Republican opponent Bob Fioretti.

O'Neill Burke's swearing in will be streamed in the video player at the top of this story.