Slow-paced jury selection enters 6th day in Madigan corruption trial

[October 17, 2024]  By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – After five days of jury selection in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, the court is still looking for a twelfth juror and six alternates.

Judge John Robert Blakey is presiding over the case at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. No new jurors were added Tuesday or Wednesday.

Several potential jurors were dismissed after saying they had knowledge of Madigan and news stories about him.

Jason Piscia, director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois Springfield, told The Center Square that Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain worked closely with each other over the years.

“McClain may have been just carrying out what he thought were Madigan’s hopes and wishes for what he thought would happen and perhaps not working under direct orders to do anything,” Piscia said.

Piscia suggested that defense attorneys might tell jurors that McClain was simply trying to make Madigan happy.

“So I’m sure we’ll see the defense of Madigan play on that theory, that it was McClain just sort of acting on his own,” Piscia said.

Madigan is charged with 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct.

Piscia said Madigan had a great deal of power over the levers of state government.

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“It was sort of a rite of passage for almost any organization or group or individual who wanted something to happen at the Statehouse to have to answer to either Mike Madigan himself or one of his associates. We can’t underestimate the power that he had, the control,” Piscia said.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan arrives at the federal court building in Chicago Oct. 9, 2024 - Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

Attorneys continued their deliberate pace of questioning potential jurors on Wednesday. It took attorneys more than two hours to question three jurors on Wednesday afternoon. Defense attorneys repeated similar questions to the same juror several times.

Blakey went along with defense attorneys’ motion to strike one potential juror Wednesday morning, even though Blakey admitted that he was “probably getting this one wrong.”

Lead U.S. prosecutor Amarjeet Bhachu suggested that defense attorneys might be trying to wear down prospective jurors with their questioning.

After a brief recess, Blakey suggested that if he didn’t see more efficiency, he would begin to use a stopwatch and place time limits on attorney's questions of potential jurors.

Bhachu responded that time limits would be a great idea. Defense attorneys opposed having a time limit.

Blakey previously said Tuesday afternoon that he would be amazed if opening statements did not begin next Monday.

Jury selection is slated to resume Thursday. The court is not scheduled to be in session Friday.