Whitley Temple will retain her name for a minimum of four more years. A Cook County judge ruled on Monday against her request to change her name, citing issues with transparency and ongoing court oversight stemming from a case in which Temple was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted murder of a Chicago police officer.
Judge Mary Trew rejected the 37-year-old’s appeal to rename herself Kendall, after she had initially wanted to change her name to Michelle.
During the court proceedings, Temple expressed her desire for a name change, explaining her difficulties in finding stable employment following the attempted murder charges and alleging that she has faced ongoing harassment from individuals who “constantly write stories about me.”
CWBChicago has published numerous articles about Temple since her arrest in 2022 for running over CPD Officer Ed Poppish with his own vehicle.
After news of her initial request to change her name to Michelle surfaced, Temple attempted to have the records sealed and later submitted a new petition seeking to change her name to Kendall.
Though Trew briefly allowed the impoundment order to keep the name change documents private, she reversed her decision last month upon learning about Temple’s ongoing court supervision related to the attempted murder case. The judge also requested input from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office regarding the name change.
On Monday, Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Tracy came forward to oppose Temple’s name change, pointing out that she is under criminal court supervision until August 2029, despite being found not guilty by reason of insanity. Tracy argued that Temple had not disclosed her ongoing supervision in either of her name change petitions.
The judge concurred, informing Temple that she had failed to mention this oversight on two occasions—first in her petition for the name Michelle and then again for the name Kendall.
Temple responded by asserting that she thought the court’s inquiries pertained only to “pending” criminal cases. However, Trew dismissed her rationale, indicating her certainty about discussing a wider array of court matters.
Following the denial of her request, Temple made one last effort to keep her name change records hidden from public scrutiny.
“Is there any way to seal it?” she questioned, again referencing the media coverage surrounding her case.
Trew turned down the plea, stating, “I think this is a matter of public interest. I can’t prevent people from writing stories.”
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Tim Hecke is CWBChicago’s managing partner. He began his career at KMOX, the renowned news radio station in St. Louis, before working at various stations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. Tim has developed syndicated radio news and content services that cater to all of America’s 100 largest radio markets. He has been the managing partner of CWBChicago since 2019.
You can reach him at tim@cwbchicago.com
