Illinois e-News Release

Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker announced the following appointment in his administration

Linnet Burden will serve as a Member of the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission.* Burden’s career spans over forty years and includes positions with both the Chicago Tribune and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. During her time at the State’s Attorney’s Office, she served as the public information officer, researching and writing speeches on criminal justice matters including police reform. As a staff reporter for the Tribune, Burden worked as a war correspondent in Bosnia, Kuwait, and Iraq, and traveled throughout the United States as a national correspondent covering crime and criminal justice issues. She is currently a writer, author, and violence reduction and police accountability advocate. She is the author of Les Ombres des Chicago and is the recipient of the National Distinguished Writing Award, the Herman Kogan Media Award, and the Medal for Meritorious Journalism. Burden received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Columbia University.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.