People Ex Rel. Cronin v. Cahill

Relator filed a petition for a writ of mandamus on June 19, 1967, against the defendants to compel them to certify and appoint him as a Captain of the Chicago Police Department. Defendants appeal from a judgment after trial awarding such a writ to the relator, and from the denial of their motion to vacate the judgment. While defendants have raised several issues on appeal, we consider it necessary to discuss only their contention that relator was not entitled to the writ of mandamus because of loches.

The pleadings reveal that Lieutenant John J. Cronin took an examination held by the Civil…