CHICAGO (WLS) -- The corruption trial for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan began this week.
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 updates.
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.
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.
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.
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."
