Lawyers in Illiniois say Attorney General Jim Ryan, the Republican candidate vying to replace outgoing Illinois Governor George Ryan, is not worthy of the job. The announcement came at a press conference of the Chicago Bar Association. (via Buzzflash).

"Best-selling novelist Scott Turow and the other big legal guns who helped exonerate three men convicted of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico's murder argued Tuesday that Republican Attorney General Jim Ryan's role in the botched death penalty case shows he lacks the character to be governor."

"Calling themselves a group of Democrats, Republicans and independents, the lawyers stopped short of endorsing Ryan's Democratic rival, Rod Blagojevich, but called on voters not to vote for Ryan in the Nov. 5 election."

"Anyone who carefully examines the record in this prosecution must conclude--must conclude--that Jim Ryan wholly lacks the capacity to run a public office with integrity," Turow said."

"As DuPage County state's attorney, Ryan prosecuted Rolando Cruz, Alejandro Hernandez and Stephen Buckley for the 1983 kidnap, rape and murder of Jeanine from her home near Naperville. When the state Supreme Court overturned the case in 1988, Ryan pushed to retry the men despite mounting evidence that another man, sex offender Brian Dugan, committed the crime. All three were eventually exonerated, Cruz after spending more than a decade on Death Row."

We've written about Jim Ryan and the Orlando Cruz case several times, for example here , as has Daily Kos here.