Dozens of elected officials are demanding the permanent reassignment of Cook County Judge Thomas Nowinski from the Domestic Violence Division following two cases where he released defendants who later allegedly killed their victims. The calls for reassignment come one month after Lacramioara Beldie, 54, was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband, Constantin Beldie, 57. Weeks prior, Constantin Beldie was charged with choking and attempting to kidnap his wife – the second time Lacramioara Beldie sought a protective order against him that year. Despite this, Judge Nowinski denied a petition to detain Constantin Beldie, releasing him on GPS monitoring.
Following the murder, advocates and officials immediately called for Nowinski’s reassignment. Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans initially removed Nowinski from domestic violence cases citing “anonymous threats,” but has not provided any updates on his assignment since. This isn’t the first time Nowinski’s decisions have been scrutinized. Earlier this year, he denied a protective order against Crosetti Brand, a convicted felon with a history of domestic violence. Brand was later charged with stabbing the woman who sought protection and killing her 11-year-old son.
This prompted 40th Ward Ald. Andre Vasquez, who lives near the scene of the second killing, to join the call for Nowinski’s reassignment. Vasquez, along with nearly 30 other Chicago-area elected officials, signed a letter to Chief Judge Evans demanding Nowinski’s permanent reassignment and a review of pretrial services procedures at the Domestic Violence Courthouse. The letter criticizes Nowinski for allegedly failing to ask key questions or consider critical information in both cases, leaving the victims vulnerable. While acknowledging that reassignment alone won’t solve systemic issues, the officials call for better training and equipping of court staff to handle domestic violence cases.
The letter also suggests changes to judicial assignment processes to prevent less experienced judges from handling sensitive domestic violence cases. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy highlighted the issue of assigning inexperienced judges to these complex cases, emphasizing the need for experienced judges in this crucial area of the court. During Constantin Beldie’s detention hearing, Nowinski expressed concerns about the preparation of evidence and noted that a pretrial services safety assessment didn’t indicate any prior protection orders. Elected officials are demanding a full internal review of pretrial services procedures to ensure adequate support for judges handling domestic violence cases. Chief Judge Evans previously announced an investigation into whether any employees failed to follow policies and procedures in the Beldie case, but no updates have been provided since.