A Jewish lawyer who works for the Cook County Public Defender’s office will be allowed to continue her lawsuit against the county office for allegedly violating her First Amendment speech rights for disciplining her for putting up a photo in the office of herself from her time serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, in which she is shown holding a gun in front of the Israeli flag, to express her support for Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in that nation.
On March 21, U.S. District Judge Joan H. Lefkow rejected the Public Defender’s attempt to toss the lawsuit brought by Debra Gassman.
Gassman had sued Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell in his official capacity as head of that office in 2024.
The lawsuit was spurred by actions Gassman claimed the Public Defender’s office took against her in 2023 and 2024, amid the roiling debate over the Israeli military response to the Hamas terrorist attacks, in which terrorists from Gaza killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians in coordinated attacks in Israel.
Gassman serves as an assistant public defender in the Cook County office, and has worked for the office in various roles since 1997.
According to the complaint, Gassman has long displayed a photo of herself in her office, which shows her in civilian clothing, holding a military rifle, while standing in front of the Israeli flag.
