(The Center Square) – An Illinois reform advocate says the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan should send an “important signal” that the days of the “Chicago Way” need to come to an end.
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 was speaker of the Illinois House for all but two years between 1983 and 2021. The longtime chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois is facing 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct.
Reform for Illinois Executive Director Alisa Kaplan said it is important that the federal government brought charges against Madigan.
“I do think that it sends a powerful signal that the Chicago Way and business as usual is not the same any more. It could land you in prison nowadays, and I think that’s a really important signal to be sent,” Kaplan told The Center Square.
Kaplan said the Madigan trial may not be getting as much publicity as other high-profile corruption cases in Illinois.
“I think that is part of the problem really, because we need more attention on these types of cases if we’re ever going to get the kind of change we need to prevent these things from happening again,” Kaplan said.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted of federal corruption charges 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 about five-and-a-half years in federal prison.
Kaplan said that 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 taking what the federal government is alleging are essentially bribes for official action,” Kaplan said.
Tuesday was the fourth day of prospective juror questioning for the Madigan trial. Eleven jurors were seated last week. Several jurors may be added following peremptory challenges. Judge John Robert Blakey said he expects a twelfth juror to be added Wednesday morning, and then attorneys would proceed with questioning more potential alternates.
The questioning process continued to proceed slowly Tuesday. Defense attorneys asked one prospective juror about her favorite comedy shows and comedians. Another prospective juror 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 is scheduled to resume Wednesday morning.