By Hicks News Investigative Unit – May 2025

In a courthouse increasingly seen as a tool of political enforcement rather than impartial justice, a LaSalle County judge handed down a ruling that legal observers say should never have been allowed to proceed.

The case: City of LaSalle v. Jamie Hicks.
The plaintiff: Not an individual employee, but the City of LaSalle itself—acting on behalf of Finance Director John Duncan.
The result: A court-issued “workplace protection order” based on exaggerations, hearsay, and a Facebook joke—signed and approved by a judge with deep institutional ties to the very officials who sought to silence Hicks.

This wasn't just a legal failure. It was a betrayal of judicial neutrality. And the transcript proves it.

The Incident Wasn’t at Work. The Judge Let It Slide.

What the law requires: The Illinois Workplace Violence Prevention Act applies only to conduct that occurs at the workplace.

What Duncan admitted under oath (R40–41):

“It happened at a Pollution Control Board hearing. Not at City Hall.”

That should’ve been the end of it.

What the judge did: Pretended not to hear it. No jurisdiction? No problem.

The Threat Changed Mid-Testimony. The Judge Didn’t Care.

Police report (R45): “He said he’d kick my ass.”
Courtroom version (R40): “He said he’d whip the fuck out of me.”

Legal requirement: A credible, imminent threat—not an embellished recollection.

Judge’s response: Accepted both versions. No objection. No challenge. Just rubber-stamped retaliation.

Duncan Didn’t Want Protection. The Judge Gave It to Him Anyway.

“I wasn’t looking to press charges… I just wanted something on the record.” (R48–49)

This wasn’t a plea for help. It was an effort to build a paper trail. Even Duncan said so.

The judge had no business issuing a legally binding order under these conditions. But he did it anyway.

The Micropenis Comment Was Treated Like a Crime

Yes, seriously.

Duncan (R65):

“There was something about my male genitalia… micropenis…”

The comment wasn’t made by Hicks. It was a viewer’s Facebook comment during a livestream, repeated sarcastically.

The judge's duty: Strike irrelevant, prejudicial, and constitutionally protected speech.

What he did: Allowed it into evidence. Cited it in support of Duncan’s alleged distress.

Duncan Made Physical Contact—Then Lied. The Judge Excused It.

• First denied touching Hicks.

• Then admitted he “might have.”

• Then claimed he was protecting the plexiglass barrier. (R54–56)

Video showed Duncan stood up and placed his hand behind Hicks during a forced removal from a city meeting.

Judge’s conclusion (R62): “Possibly inadvertent.”

That same judge later used verbal Facebook comments by Hicks to justify a full protective order. But when Duncan physically touched a critic during removal? The judge just shrugged.

The Entire Case Was Built on Hearsay. The Judge Let It Stand.

• “People told me they’re afraid of Jamie.”

• “Someone said he talked about a noose.”

• “I didn’t see the post myself.” (R32, R65)

None of it was firsthand. None of it was corroborated. Yet the judge adopted this gossip wholesale—without cross-examination, without scrutiny.

The Timeline Screamed Retaliation. The Judge Pretended It Didn’t.

“He’s been attending meetings since early 2023. I became concerned after February 5, 2024.” (R67–68)

Over a year of Hicks attending meetings without incident—and Duncan only “fears” him after Hicks starts drawing public attention.

Judge’s duty: Identify retaliatory motive.

What he did: Rewarded it.

The Judge Ignored the Courthouse Conflict of Interest — Fully

This case wasn’t just flawed. It was heard in a courtroom deeply compromised by political connections:

• Jennifer Peters, sister of Mayor Jeff Grove, works as Supervisor of the Civil Division—where this case was filed and processed.

• City Attorney Jim McPhedrin, who collaborates regularly with the LaSalle County State’s Attorney’s Office, also works within the same Civil Division.

• Both have direct institutional and personal ties to the Mayor, to Duncan, and to the political machine that sought to muzzle Hicks.

• The City of LaSalle—not Duncan—filed this case using public attorneys and court channels tied to its own political network.

The judge said nothing. He recused no one. He addressed no conflict. He allowed a politically entangled court to serve as both sword and shield.

Conclusion: This Was Political Theater—And the Judge Directed It

A judge is supposed to stand as the firewall between political power and public abuse. In this case, the firewall failed.

He let hearsay substitute for evidence.
He allowed taunts to become threats.
He embraced gossip over law.
And he handed City Hall a silencing order with the ink of corruption still wet on the page.

Mayor Grove’s sister worked down the hall. The City Attorney helped write the rules. And the judge signed the order anyway.

This wasn’t a courtroom. It was a political execution chamber with a robe.