A Cook County Circuit Court judge has come under scrutiny for controversial social media activity, including calling President Donald Trump a “modern day Hitler,” using profanity directed at federal immigration officers, and sharing politically charged messages on her Facebook account over the last seven years, according to a CWBChicago review of her public posts. In contrast, another judge faced repercussions for expressing conservative views as a private citizen.
Despite these posts, there is no evidence that any complaint has been filed against Judge Cynthia Ramirez, even though the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct advises judges to avoid expressing opinions on social media.
The code emphasizes the necessity of an “independent, fair, and impartial judiciary” for justice. It warns that a breach may occur if a judge uses the Internet, including social networking sites, to share comments or materials that convey information or opinion.
Elected to the bench in 2012 and currently serving in the court’s Juvenile Division, Ramirez did not reply to a comment request submitted through the Chief Judge’s office on Thursday.
On July 14, Ramirez posted a photo of Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian immigrant who was fatally shot by a federal immigration officer in Maine. She captioned the photo with: “F@ck ICE.”
The post was quickly highlighted by Chicago Contrarian on its Twitter feed. Following this, CWBChicago examined Ramirez’s Facebook timeline, uncovering several political comments dating back years.
Directly below the ICE post, Ramirez shared a message from James Talarico, a Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, stating, “Christian Nationalists walk around with a mouth full of scripture and a heart full of hate…,” to which she added: “AMÉN!”
On November 6, 2024, the day after Trump secured his second term, she posted an image reading, “AMERICA IS BROKEN,” with a broken-heart graphic. The next month, after the death of former President Jimmy Carter, she shared his obituary with the comment, “At least he won’t be around to see what that moron does,” followed by a crying emoji.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June 2022, Ramirez encouraged voters to focus on judicial elections, saying, “remember that your vote regarding Judges is extremely important and potentially life changing!! Vote for experienced and qualified candidates! Voteforjudges.org.”
On January 8, 2019, in response to Trump’s Oval Office address on a border crisis, Ramirez labeled him a “modern day Hitler vilifying Latino immigrants.” A few days later, after a mass shooting at a plant in Aurora, she shared a news article about the incident, writing, “Another mass shooting! Hey Trump, this is the true National Emergency, NOT the border!!”
The lack of any disciplinary action against Ramirez stands in contrast to the situation involving Cook County Circuit Judge James R. Brown earlier this year.
In January 2026, the Illinois Supreme Court rescinded Brown’s temporary judicial assignment after receiving complaints from two bar associations concerning a conservative opinion piece he penned as a private citizen before his one-year court assignment.
The dismissal was communicated through a brief order removing Brown, who claims he was not contacted by the justices before his removal. He has since filed a federal lawsuit against the Illinois Supreme Court and its justices, contending that the Illinois Constitution does not grant the Supreme Court authority to remove judges.
The Cook County Bar Association, among those advocating for Brown’s removal, objected to his column’s assertions, including that “justice awaits those who brazenly and viciously demonized the 77 million Trump supporters” and that “accountability, in one form or another, is coming to the George Soros-funded progressive prosecutors who waged lawfare against President Trump.”
Brown’s article argued that the nation had experienced a “renewed faith in the American justice system” following what he described as years of political “lawfare” by progressive prosecutors.
Before his removal, Brown served 18 years as a Cook County judge without public discipline. In his most recent retention election, all major Cook County bar associations, including the Cook County Bar Association, recommended his retention.
Coincidentally, on February 27, 2024, Ramirez “checked in” at a Loop law firm on Facebook, noting her attendance at the Cook County Bar Association Judges Night.
A spokesperson for the Illinois Supreme Court did not respond to requests for information regarding this story.
