Prosecutor in Broadview Six case resigns, alleges pressure from U.S. attorney.

Sheri Mecklenburg retired this week and sent a three-page letter to U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros accusing him of directing the felony prosecution of six Chicago-area protesters against her advice.

• Mecklenburg said she retired 'under protest' to preserve healthcare benefits earned over decades.
• Boutros publicly blamed her for the case's collapse without seeking her account, she wrote.
• 20 years of her grand jury cases are now under review by the U.S. attorney's office.
• Her attorney alleged in a court filing that Boutros ordered an expedited grand jury transcript after a failed indictment attempt.

Why it matters: The letter escalates a dispute over who bears responsibility for one of the more public federal prosecution failures in recent years.

• All charges against the six protesters were dropped days before trial, with the judge scolding prosecutors for violating the court's trust.
• Mecklenburg says she was excluded from a May 21 hearing where her conduct was publicly condemned, learning of it afterward from a reporter.

How 8 sources split on this story

Where they split: The core dispute is whether Boutros directed the felony prosecution and knew of misconduct early, or whether Mecklenburg acted on her own and he learned of problems only in late April.

What’s next: Judge Perry holds a sanctions and misconduct hearing on Oct. 1.

• Mecklenburg's attorney wants her to intervene and present her account at that hearing.
• Did Boutros read the grand jury transcript emailed to him on Oct. 14, 2025, as defense attorneys contend, or not, as he claims?
• Will Judge Perry allow Mecklenburg to intervene at the Oct. 1 hearing?
• Does Mecklenburg intend to file a lawsuit against the U.S. attorney's office, as her letter suggests?