Judicial Watch announced it filed a lawsuit against Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker seeking records from a September 2025 state-funded Peacekeeper event where he was photographed with an employee later charged with first-degree murder.
The lawsuit concerns transparency regarding the governor’s involvement in the event and the subsequent arrest of Kellen McMiller, who had been employed by the Peacekeepers program. The case highlights questions about background checks and oversight within state-funded anti-violence initiatives.
According to Judicial Watch in an X post, “it filed a lawsuit against Pritzker for records regarding a September 2025 Peacekeeper event at which Pritzker was photographed with anti-violence employee Kellen McMiller, who days later was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The post includes a link to the organization’s press release on the matter, which details the Freedom of Information Act request for photographs, communications, and background checks related to the event and McMiller’s participation. This action addresses records from the state-funded program event in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood.”
The organization said its legal action follows a Freedom of Information Act request submitted on September 19, 2025, which was denied by Pritzker’s office. The suit seeks all photos from the September 5, 2025 Chicago Peacekeeper event, communications about McMiller’s participation, and any background checks conducted on attendees. Judicial Watch said that this denial violates Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act transparency requirements. The Peacekeeper program is described as a state-funded initiative to reduce violence through community intervention in high-risk areas like Englewood.
Kellen McMiller was charged with first-degree murder following a September 11, 2025 smash-and-grab robbery at a Louis Vuitton store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue that resulted in the death of Mark Arceta from Skokie. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that McMiller had four active arrest warrants from Florida, Indiana, and Wisconsin at the time of his arrest and was among seven people charged; prosecutors described it as a highly orchestrated burglary leading to a fatal crash.
Judicial Watch describes itself as “a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability, and integrity in government. Led by President Tom Fitton, it uses Freedom of Information Act requests and lawsuits to uncover misconduct, such as the recent case against Illinois Gov. Pritzker.” According to its website, it has been recognized as one of Washington’s top ten most effective government watchdogs by The Hill newspaper.
