Trial expected to last months
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The corruption trial for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has begun.
Madigan had been indicted on federal racketeering and bribery charges as a part of what federal prosecutors call "the Madigan enterprise," where they say he allegedly committed crimes for his personal gain and that of his political allies.
The blockbuster trial is expected to take several months.
Check back with ABC7 Chicago for live updates.
The Madigan trial will extend into January, the judge said Monday.
The trial is running at least two weeks longer than expected, with an end date likely not coming before the middle of January.
Jury selection continues Wednesday in the trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.
Potential jurors will be interviewed.
The process was expected to begin about 9 a.m.
Legal expert Chris Hotaling talks about the jury selection process at the Michael Madigan trial, including the progress made on day one, what attorneys on both sides are looking for in a juror and how quickly the case will get underway once a jury is seated.
Lawyers on Tuesday hammered out a few last-minute issues involving evidence and jury instructions before testimony begins.
But, the majority of their time was spent discussing a prosecution witness who filed a sexual harassment complaint in 2017 against a political operative in Madigan's organization, Kevin Quinn.
Quinn was eventually fired.
Prosecutors want to call Alaina Hampton to show a pattern of behavior.
Defense attorneys want limits on Hampton's testimony, saying it would be highly prejudicial and irrelevant to bring in sexual harassment claims.
Charged along with Madigan is former ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain.
A federal grand jury handed down a superseding indictment in October 2022, adding a new charge of conspiracy.
According to the indictment, his job was to conceal and hide the illegal operation of the enterprise shielding Madigan from the criminal activity.
Prosecutors say because Madigan's co-defendant McClain worked to funnel secret payments to help Quinn, it will help establish a pattern of concealed payments, which are part of the conspiracy alleged against Madigan.
The jury selection process started Tuesday in the trial of longtime former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.
Tuesday, prospective jurors filled out questionnaires, with the in-court portion of jury selection beginning on Wednesday.
The challenge for attorneys will be finding jurors who don't have biases for or against Madigan, given the high-profile nature of the case.
"There's going to be a lot of opinions. Some are going to be loose; some are going to be firmly held. And it's going to be very interesting to find out who's going to be able to take their opinions, set them aside, and who's going to not be able to do that, and hence, be unfair to serve on a jury," jury consultant Alan Tuerkheimer said.
The judge announced Tuesday afternoon that two jurors who were originally part of the jury pool have been dismissed due to unexplained issues.
