Jurors in the Michael Madigan corruption trial have returned to Chicago’s federal courthouse for their seventh day of deliberations.
They maintained complete silence all day Wednesday, sending no questions or other notes to the judge. That was somewhat unusual: Jurors have sent at least one communication every day since they began their discussions the afternoon of Jan. 29.
The jury’s deliberations kicked off the final phase of a landmark four-month trial and as of Wednesday evening the jurors’ discussions had lasted roughly 36 ½ hours. Their discussions have lasted longer than in two other recent high-profile corruption cases.
The jury in the “ComEd Four” bribery case, which featured evidence that overlapped significantly with some of the evidence in the Madigan trial, reached a verdict after about 27 hours. And jurors in the racketeering trial of former Ald. Ed Burke found him guilty in about 23 hours.
Jurors’ only communication Tuesday was a note about scheduling, informing the judge that from now on they will break at 4:30 on most days instead of their initial 4:45 end time.
That followed their sole note Monday, which asked about evidence related to Madigan’s alleged scheme to put onetime political nemesis Juan Ochoa on the ComEd board.
Madigan, who spent decades as the speaker of the state House and ruled the Illinois Democratic party with a tight grip, is charged with a racketeering indictment accusing him of running his political and government operations like a criminal enterprise. Charged alongside him is Michael McClain, a former lobbyist who was Madigan’s right-hand man.
Last week, jurors’ only communication was about scheduling — and office supplies. Shortly before noon Thursday, they sent a note to the judge asking for more highlighters, sticky notes and white-out.
Jurors have to consider 23 counts against Madigan alleging an array of schemes to enrich his political allies and line his pockets. McClain is charged in six of those counts.
To assist their deliberations, jurors have about 100 pages of legal instructions, dozens of undercover recordings, and hundreds of emails, texts and other documents entered into evidence.
Madigan, 82, of Chicago’s Southwest Side, was for decades the most powerful man in Illinois politics, reigning over the state Democratic party and setting a national record for longest-serving speaker of a state house. His co-defendant, Michael McClain, 77, is a retired lobbyist from downstate Quincy who acted as Madigan’s right-hand man.
In addition to alleging plans to pressure developers into hiring Madigan’s law firm, the indictment accuses Madigan and McClain of bribery schemes involving ComEd and AT&T Illinois, where the utilities allegedly funneled payments through do-nothing subcontracts to a handful of the speaker’s closest allies.
