(The Center Square) – Although a mistrial was declared in the bribery case against state Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, another Illinois corruption trial may be around the corner.
Jurors deadlocked on all three counts against Jones, leading U.S. District Court Judge Andrea Wood to declare a mistrial at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago Thursday.
Jones’ case was the latest in a series of public corruption trials in Illinois to end with jurors deadlocked.
Last September, a judge declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked on charges against AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza, who was accused of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.
Madigan was convicted on 10 corruption-related counts in February, but jurors deadlocked on six counts against Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain.
In a separate case, the Chicago Tribune reported that state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, is under investigation for expenditures related to three campaign funds.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker says recent corruption cases are evidence that current ethics measures are working.
“All are being held responsible under laws that are on the books now, ethics laws and laws that hold what they did illegal and have brought them to trial,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Jacksonville Tuesday.
Pritzker called for Jones to resign after charges were announced in 2022, but Jones was reelected without opposition a few weeks later and continues to serve in the Illinois Senate.
After the mistrial, Jones told reporters he was “looking forward to another fight.”
When asked why he hadn’t publicly advocated for stronger ethics measures, Pritzker said he has pushed for reforms for a long time.
“We’ve gotten a lot done. I continue to advocate. Sometimes the legislature doesn’t move as fast as I’d like them to,” Pritzker said.
Democrats and Republicans have proposed ethics bills that have stalled in the General Assembly this year.
Connie Mixon, professor of political science and director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University, said it is frustrating that Illinois is home to one corruption case after another.
“There are legislative things that can be done to help curtail some of this corruption, and yet our General Assembly doesn’t seem interested or doesn’t feel any urgency in pushing through legislative reforms,” Mixon told The Center Square.
In response to Jones’ mistrial, Illinois state Sen. Darby Hills, R-Barrington Hills, provided The Center Square with a statement.
“Regardless of the outcome of this case, it’s clear that the people of Illinois want honesty, fairness, and accountability from those in office. We must keep working toward a more transparent and trustworthy state government,” Hills said.
