CHICAGO– Once hailed as thelongest-serving legislative leader in American history, Michael Madigan will enter a federal courtroom this week on charges that he used his vast influence to run a “criminal enterprise” to amass even more wealth and power.
The former speaker of the Illinois House is charged in a multimillion-dollar racketeering and bribery scheme that also involved the state’s largest utility, ComEd.
From wiretapped conversations to videotaped meetings, much of the evidence has been viewed in open court. An in-depth investigation into government corruption has already led to convictions legislators And Madigan’s former chief of staff.
But starting Tuesday, when potential jurors report to court for the first time, the spotlight will turn to the Chicago Democrat once considered the most powerful force in Illinois politics.
“This is the top of the mountain right here, the absolute top,” said former federal prosecutor Phil Turner.
Here’s a closer look at the matter:
Madigan, who has been a speaker for more than 30 years, is charged in a 23-count indictment with racketeering conspiracy, involving the use of interstate facilities for the purpose of bribery, wire fraud and attempted extortion.
Federal prosecutors allege he exploited not only his role as chairman but also other positions of power, including the chairmanship of the Democratic Party of Illinois. He is also accused of profiting from private legal work illegally sent to his law firm. Madigan’s mission was to “increase his political power and financial well-being while generating revenue for his political allies and associates.”
For example, he is said to have used his influence to pass legislation favorable to electricity company ComEd. In return, ComEd offered kickbacks, jobs and contracts to Madigan loyalists.
Also on trial is Madigan’s 76-year-old confidante Michael McClain, who has already been found guilty in a separate, related case. Last year, federal jurors convicted McClain and three others of the bribery plot involving ComEd.
Madigan, 82, has “adamantly” denied wrongdoing.
“I was never involved in any criminal activity,” he said in 2022 when the charges were announced.
The trial represents a stunning political fall for the leader whose term survived three terms governors end up in prison.
“The reputation has always been that this is a person who is untouchable,” said Turner, who is not involved in the case.
Madigan, the son of a Chicago County captain, was first elected to the Legislature in 1970. He served as Speaker from 1983 to 2021, with the exception of two years when Republicans were in power.
Madigan represented areas southwest of downtown, near Midway International Airport. The middle-class district was his power base, where his loyalists, many of whom were on the government payroll, reliably showed up to canvass neighborhoods and register voters.
He set much of Illinois’ political agenda and decided which pieces of legislation would come to a vote. He managed multiple political funds, which allowed him to choose candidates to run for office. Madigan also supervised making political mapsthus ensuring boundaries favorable to Democrats.
“He becomes the political party,” said Kent Redfield, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “It will be the Mike Madigan Party.”
At the same time, he kept a low profile and preferred to work behind the scenes. Madigan was not one to participate in parades or ribbon cuttings. It is known that he did not have a mobile phone.
His leadership was a return to the style of machine politics for which Illinois was famous when patronage and party connections controlled hiring and construction projects.
Props to him started to crack following an investigation by allegations of sexual harassment against his staff and when details of the federal corruption investigation came to light in late 2019.
In 2021, Madigan was unable to garner the votes needed to remain speaker. He resigned from his legislative position and as party chairman.
“He was by far the most powerful politician in Illinois,” said Constance Mixon, a professor at Elmhurst University. “While governors came and went, as Chicago mayors came and went, Madigan was the one constant in Illinois politics.”
More than 1,000 jury summonses have been sent out for the jury pool, which has been reduced to about 180 people.
Defense attorneys expect challenges because of Madigan’s name recognition. Another hurdle is the deep distrust of politicians in Illinois.
“I don’t know if anyone has ever heard of Michael Madigan,” said Gal Pissetzky, an attorney not involved in the case. “It will be a very difficult jury selection.”
The trial was postponed for six months as the Supreme Court considered a bribery law at the heart of the trial. In June, the country’s Supreme Court overturned the bribery conviction from a former mayor of Indiana, who notes that the law criminalizes bribes given before an official act, not rewards or “tips” handed out afterward.
Madigan’s attorneys sought to dismiss many charges against Madigan, arguing that the ruling made the case against him “fatally weak, constitutionally and otherwise.”
But U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey rejected the effort last week, along with a motion to try McClain separately, clearing the way for jury selection to begin in earnest Wednesday.
The testimony is expected to last three months. Experts believe the government has a strong case. Defense attorneys will have to counter extensive evidence, including wiretaps of Madigan and others.
Madigan’s attorneys are seeking to play longer versions of the conversations, saying context is missing from the clips prosecutors want played.
“The defense has to compete,” Pissetzky said. “It’s very difficult to research a recording.”
The timing means the proceedings could extend well beyond the November elections and into 2025.
Although Madigan is no longer in office, the case could have implications for the broader public perception of politicians.
“Most lawmakers are not corrupt, but when we get these high-profile cases it further erodes trust,” Mixon said. “Citizens are becoming less trusting of their government, more cynical and more detached.”