Attorneys discuss jury directions with judge at ex-Illinois House speaker’s corruption trial

[January 04, 2025]  By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Judge John Robert Blakey has reviewed jury instructions with federal prosecutors and defense attorneys at the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain have pleaded not guilty to 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct in connection with a scheme that federal prosecutors referred to as "Madigan Enterprise."

The judge held a charge conference Thursday with the jury not present. Attorneys discussed terminology used in the indictment and how the judge would instruct jurors before deliberations. One of the topics of discussion was quid pro quo, or “this for that.”


Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Collins prosecuted the corruption case against former Illinois Gov. George Ryan. Collins told The Center Square that prosecutors may have a more difficult task than he did when prosecuting cases involving bribery or fraud.

“In this case, the Snyder Supreme Court decision, which really moves the bar up for prosecutors, I think that’s a real issue for the government,” Collins said.

Collins said the decision set a high bar for government attorneys trying to prove bribery or quid pro quo.

“I will give you this job if you give me this benefit, that’s quid pro quo, versus doing something nice in the hopes that that will curry favor for the public official in front of whom you have state business. The Supreme Court has drawn a pretty difficult line,” Collins said.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, and co-defendant Michael McClain

On the other hand, Collins said jurors may have a low tolerance for corruption after the parade of public officials who faced charges in Chicago.

“When you come into the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago as a public corruption defendant, I think you have two strikes against you,” Collins said.

Prosecutors allege that ComEd and AT&T Illinois gave out no-work or little-work jobs and contract work to those loyal to Madigan to get legislation passed that would benefit them in Springfield. Four ComEd executives and lobbyists were convicted last year in a related trial, and ComEd itself agreed to pay $200 million in fines as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with prosecutors.

Madigan’s defense team began calling witnesses and presenting evidence on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, after McClain’s attorneys rested their case.

Madigan served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021. He was speaker for all but two years between 1983 and 2021. Madigan also chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois from 1998 to 2021.

McClain was a longtime lobbyist who previously served as a state representative in Illinois’ 48th district from 1973 to 1982.

United States of America v. Madigan et al is scheduled to resume Monday morning at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. The trial began with jury selection on Oct. 8, 2024.