WHAT THEY TELL YOU: Top prosecutor faces ethics case over racial remarks that derailed murder trial.

The top prosecutor in a southern Illinois county is facing a legal ethics case because of racial remarks he made that derailed a murder trial.

Williamson County State’s Attorney Charles Garnati violated four legal ethics rules and “tends to defeat the administration of justice or to bring the courts or legal profession into disrepute,” contends the the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission in a Nov. 6 complaint (PDF) that was made public on Wednesday. The defendant, who is black, was tried before an all-white jury in July 2011 and sentenced to 85 years before his conviction was reversed on appeal, reports the Chicago Tribune.

What they don’t tell you: Prosecutor Garnati is a Democrat.