Running for judge in Chicago is serious business...

So much that even judicial candidates steal the campaign signs of their opponents!

Carl Boyd won the Democratic nomination in March for a subcircuit judge post in Cook County and is a shoo-in for the November election because he is running unopposed. But first he must deal with a trial late this month — his own. He faces a misdemeanor charge of allegedly stealing the campaign signs of a primary rival in the middle of the night.

Boyd, a veteran Chicago attorney, was arrested by Chicago police about 2 a.m. the day before the March 20 primary while allegedly in the possession of a dozen signs promoting the campaign of primary rival Chester Slaughter.

The arrest garnered no public attention, and the next day Boyd won in a landslide over Slaughter and two other candidates with more than half the vote.

In a telephone interview Monday, Boyd acknowledged his arrest but denied any wrongdoing.

"I can tell you that the police officer stated that this would make for a great story," he told the Tribune. "But he certainly did not see me pick up one sign. That much is true."

Boyd said he believes the police report was fabricated, but he wouldn't explain why.

"At this point, I would certainly appreciate an opportunity to have this matter heard in the appropriate forum, which would be the court," he said.

This isn't entirely unexplored territory as a former Republican Cook County Commissioner had been arrested for stealing or vandalizing an opponents campaign sign not long before his election. The publicity surrounding that may well have dented any chance of his re-election and he no longer serves on the County Board today.

Alas in this case, the candidate in question has no opposition and assuming he doesn't get convicted will more than likely be a sitting judge of the Cook County court!