Jury selection continues as Madigan faces a “laundry list” of misconduct allegations

Jury selection for United States of America v. Madigan et al. resumed Tuesday at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in downtown Chicago.

Madigan served as Speaker of the Illinois House for nearly two years from 1983 to 2021. The longtime chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party is facing 23 counts of bribery, extortion and official misconduct.

Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois, said it is important for the federal government to file charges against Madigan.

“I think it sends a strong message that the Chicago Way and ‘business as usual’ are no longer the same. It could land you in jail these days, and I think that’s a very important message,” Kaplan told The Center Square.

Kaplan said the Madigan trial may not receive as much publicity as other high-profile corruption cases in Illinois.

“I think this is actually part of the problem, because we need more attention to these types of cases if we’re ever going to create the kind of change we need to prevent these things from happening again,” Kaplan said.

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was convicted of federal corruption in 2011 and served just under eight years in prison. He was released after then-President Donald Trump commuted his sentence in February 2020.

Blagojevich’s predecessor as governor, George Ryan, was convicted of racketeering and fraud in 2006. Ryan spent approximately five and a half years in federal prison.

Kaplan said the scope of the federal indictment against Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain is significant.

“There’s a laundry list of allegations here of misconduct and of Madigan and his associates essentially taking bribes for official action, according to the federal government,” Kaplan said.

Tuesday was the fourth day of questioning potential jurors for the Madigan trial. Last week, eleven jury members took their seats. Multiple judges may be added following peremptory challenges. Judge John Robert Blakey said he expects a 12th juror to be added Wednesday morning, after which attorneys will continue questioning more potential alternates.

The interrogation process was slow on Tuesday. Defense attorneys asked a prospective juror about her favorite comedy shows and comedians. Another prospective judge was asked where he liked to go fishing and what he liked to fish for. Prosecutors asked several potential jurors about their favorite video games.

Jury selection will resume Wednesday morning.