Write-in candidate to run against ex-law clerk accused of posing as judge

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Rhonda Crawford, the clerk who was fired for impersonating a Cook County judge, had been running unopposed for a real judgeship but is now facing an opponent in the November election.

Crawford was recently fired for allegedly putting on the black robes and masquerading on the bench, actually presiding over a few cases. Now current Maywood judge Maryam Ahmad filed paperwork Tuesday as a write-in candidate to run against Crawford.

Authorities said Crawford pretended to be a judge with the blessing of judge Valerie Turner, who she was clerking for at the time and who is also now under investigation.

Most voters seem to consider judge elections a nuisance, but this race may get some attention. It will be a unique contest to say the least. Ahmad is a lawyer, bodybuilder and third-degree karate expert now running for judge in the first subcircuit.

Ahmad is currently an appointed judge in a different subcircuit. She has a law degree from DePaul and a long legal pedigree, from private lawyer to public defender to Assistant State's Attorney. She also once served as a sexual harassment officer for the city of Chicago.

In campaign videos from Ahmad's failed Democratic primary run in March, she is seen working parades plugging justice for all and in a dismount from the one-handed pullups to a cheering crowd.

Write-in candidates are usually considered election longshots, but in this case the write-in is running against someone who faces a law license investigation and possible criminal charges, either of which could disqualify Crawford from actually serving as a judge even if she is elected.