Delivering a sharp rebuke to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the state Senate on Monday rejected one of his nominees to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, a longtime consultant who is also a godmother to former President Barack Obama’s daughters.
The vote came hours after another of Pritzker’s appointees to the board opted to resign from the state agency rather than face scrutiny over his parole decisions.
It’s the latest and most damning hiccup for a board that faced GOP-led accusations about the transparency of the governor’s appointments and the decisions of his nominees. The board’s duties include deciding which prisoners are eligible for parole and reviewing recommendations for executive clemency. It is under a microscope during a campaign year in which Republicans are accusing Pritzker of being soft on crime.
But Democrats, too, had reservations over the board’s decisions, not wanting to go home and have to explain to constituents why they endorsed someone who let a violent person out of prison. "The Pritzker administration remains committed to ensuring that highly qualified nominees fill these critical roles on the Prisoner Review Board, especially because we must fulfill our constitutional and statutory obligations for clemency and parole as well as key public safety functions of the board."
Wilson is a veteran consultant on social justice and educational issues and one of the founding members of DePaul University’s School for New Learning. Wilson was also appointed in April 2019. She also served as a commissioner on President Barack Obama’s White House Fellowship Program and is godmother to Sasha and Malia Obama.
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