Mike Madigan trial live updates: Process to select jury for former speaker corruption trial to begin

Billy Morgan, Democratic candidate for state representative in Illinois' 79th District, is calling for stronger ethics laws ahead of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's corruption trial.

In a statement Tuesday, he said, "Every time a high-ranking Illinois official is hauled into court on corruption charges, it further erodes the public's trust in our leaders. We cannot have a functional government if we do not have an ethical government. The people of Illinois need to know their government is acting in the people's best interests, instead of auctioning off public policy to the highest bidder.

"We need stronger ethics laws, and we need to make sure our elected officials obey the laws that are already on the books. Just as importantly, voters need to hold politicians accountable when those elected officials shrug off their duty to follow the law."

The jury selection process starts Tuesday in the trial of longtime former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Tuesday prospective jurors will fill out questionnaires with the in-court portion of jury selection beginning on Wednesday.

Jury selection is expected to take several days, and is set to start at 1:30 p.m.

Jury selection will begin this week in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whose half-century career and status as Illinois' most powerful politician ended nearly four years ago as the feds circled ever-closer to his inner circle.

Madigan was once considered the most powerful politician in Illinois, serving as House speaker for a total of 36 years. The 82-year-old ex-speaker faces bribery and racketeering charges - along with his longtime friend and powerful Springfield lobbyist Mike McClain - in a case that frames Madigan's power in government, politics and as a partner in his law firm as a criminal enterprise.

Jury selection begins this week in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The trial, which is scheduled to last through mid-December, is the culmination of more than a decade of digging by the FBI and prosecutors, and it's the final in a series of related cases that have played out in Chicago's federal courthouse over the last few years.

Opening statements in the case are likely to begin on Tuesday, Oct. 15, though Blakey this week said jury selection should take as long as it needs. The trial is scheduled through Dec. 13.