As His Column Turns 30 Remembering Eric Zorn S Biggest Crusade

Eric Zorn noted the other day that Monday marks the 30th anniversary of his arrival in the pages of the Tribune as a columnist. Zorn counted his blessings.

But Zorn dug in. He mastered the case file and sicced logic and common sense on prosecutor Jim Ryan’s case for executing Cruz. The case fell apart. “This case is not about technicalities; it’s about a massive miscarriage of justice, blatant misrepresentations to the jury,” Zorn told us then. “The whole story is so overwhelming. In a column 800 words at a time, I can bite off one thing, make a point with it, and bite off another.”

At the top of Wycliff’s list was Jim Ryan, who “needs to explain why getting a conviction was more important to him than getting justice.” Wycliff went on: “One thing is clear: None of those involved in the Cruz prosecution deserves ever again to enjoy a position of public honor or trust. They have demonstrated that they have no honor and they merit no trust.”