Chicago Judge Reassigned for ‘Suggesting He Had Sex With Prosecutor in College’

A longtime criminal judge in Chicago has been reassigned to administrative duties after allegedly calling a prosecutor a “bitch” and suggesting he’d once slept with her in college. Judge Mauricio Araujo’s reported comments have prompted Cook County’s chief judge, Timothy Evans, to order about 400 judges and 2,400 administrative employees to undergo sexual-harassment training, the Chicago Tribune reports. Araujo allegedly became irate during a hearing on a murder case this month when an unnamed female prosecutor who attended the same law school he did failed to acknowledge him as a former classmate. “She walked in and didn’t even give me any congrats or acknowledge me. She acted like she didn’t know who I was,” Araujo was overheard saying to a clerk, according to a complaint filed with the state’s attorney. He was reportedly overheard complaining about the prosecutor’s supposed snub to other prosecutors and colleagues throughout the day, at one point allegedly calling her a “bitch.” “Well, maybe it’s because I didn’t have sex with her or maybe it’s because I did have sex with her,” he allegedly said. The prosecutor has said Araujo made numerous unwanted sexual advances toward her in college. In comments to the Tribune, Araujo denied calling the prosecutor a “bitch” and said he “doubts” he’d ever made sexual advances toward her. “I just thought it was weird,” he told the paper. “I don’t know why she treats me like a stranger. I’ve been in this building five years and she always ignores me.”