The trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan should be underway in fewer than three months, as neither federal prosecutors nor defense attorneys asked to reset the calendar in light of last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling clarifying the bribery statute informing a few of the 23 counts of Madigan’s political corruption indictment.
The parties filed a joint motion Monday (read it at tinyurl.com/MadiganReport) establishing a July 18 deadline for pretrial motions from Madigan and his codefendant, longtime ally Michael McClain. The feds must respond by Aug. 1 and then the defendants have until Aug. 16 for their final replies.
That’s all just procedural stuff, such as the government clarifying it won’t seek a superseding indictment in light of the Supreme Court opinion. And while all that information is interesting and helpful in assessing the path this trial might take, we don’t need to hear the jury’s verdict on Madigan and McClain to see how even a full conviction won’t sufficiently change course in Springfield.
Even if the feds put away someone as historically and uniquely powerful as Madigan, many of the levers he pulled to stay on top for so long remain tantalizingly within reach of today’s leaders.
One obvious example comes from Danny Solis, the former Chicago City Council member who worked as a government informant. During an August 2018 conversation he secretly recorded, Solis reminded Madigan of the work he brought to the speaker’s private law firm and sought, following his council retirement, an appointment to something like the Labor Relations Board of Commerce Commission, both “very generous in their compensation.”
Blurry private-public lines and the power to dole out lucrative state “jobs” are both a recipe for quid pro quo agreements and just close enough to above board to pass as legitimate business, depending on the current burden of legal proof. Perhaps if those choice commission appointments didn’t come with such generous (and publicly funded) salary and benefits packages, or if there were several more safeguards in place to protect against insider influence, we might see a bit less mutual back-scratching.
Beyond prosecution and filing requirements, true ethical reform involves significantly diluting the power of any individual official.
HAVE YOUR SAY: The State Fair Museum Foundation wants to honor one person each day of the August Fair. Nominees for the Illinoisian of the Day honor should, according to a release, “be involved in service activities, educational projects, and /or youth programs, and have an affiliation with state and/or county fairs in Illinois. In addition, nominees must have shown their true Illinois spirit through continued volunteerism and community service.” Make nominations at illinoisstatefairmuseum.org through July 20. The website also has information on past honorees dating to 2009.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. Follow him on X @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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