5 more jurors added in Madigan corruption trial, but judge again warns of slow pace

Five more jurors were chosen Thursday to hear evidence in the corruption trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan, but the sluggish pace of questioning is threatening to delay opening statements in the landmark case for another week.

Among the newly selected jurors are a man who works as a night nurse at an Elmhurst hospital, a woman who manages proposals for food-service giant Aramark, and a woman who services tenant issues for a downtown building and has a good friend who helps plan events for Gov. JB Pritzker.

A total of eight people — five women and three men — have been empaneled in two long days of questioning, leaving attorneys not quite halfway to choosing their 12 jurors and six alternates.

Opening statements, which initially were scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 15, likely will be delayed by at least a day or two, and late in the day Thursday, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey hinted they may not kick off until the week of Oct. 21.

Attorneys spent more than six hours Thursday questioning a series of prospective jurors about their political activities, news consumption habits and personal views about politicians and lobbyists. They are being referred to in court only by their juror number to protect their privacy.

One of the highlights of the day came when Juror 39, a woman from Aurora, told Madigan attorney Tom Breen that her best friend “Becky” is a “Trumper” Republican, though she does not share her friend’s views.

“How bad did Becky trash Mr. Madigan?” Breen asked.

“She said if you get on the jury, vote guilty,” the woman said, prompting laughter in the courtroom.

Juror 39 later told the judge that Breen looks like actor Eric Roberts.

At that, even Madigan, who has remained steadfastly straight-faced throughout the proceedings, broke out laughing.

Juror 39 was ultimately selected for the panel.

Also chosen was a registered nurse and Marvel movie fan from Downers Grove who said he watches the news only when it’s playing in his patients’ rooms.

The woman who works as a proposal manager for Aramark said her father was with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District when it first started the Deep Tunnel project, and that her brother currently works for the district in southwest suburban Stickney.

Another female juror, who manages tenant issues at the downtown commercial office building, grew up in Park Ridge and currently lives in Wrigleyville. She said she recently helped her friend who plans professional events for Pritzker put on an event for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The final juror selected Thursday from the panel was a woman from far northwest suburban Ingleside who graduated from DePaul University and works for Northwestern Medicine, scheduling patients for the neurosurgical department. Her partner is an employee of the Chicago Fire soccer team, helping set up and break down after games.

After Thursday’s session, a total of 25 people have now been questioned out of the pool of more than 150 potential jurors from all over northern Illinois called into the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse for the blockbuster case.

Before court recessed for the day, Blakey swore in another panel of 16 people and gave them preliminary instructions, telling them to return to the courthouse Friday morning for individual interviews.

The judge has given the parties wide leeway in their questioning and said he will not put a time limit on the process. But before taking a midmorning break, he told the lawyers that at their current pace, they will not get to opening statements until the week after next, which will extend the trial beyond the 10 weeks originally scheduled.

“I am not going to rush you guys at all. I’m not,” Blakey said. “It’s an important process, and it’s going to take as long as it needs to take. But if the trial is going to be 11 weeks, we need to let the jurors know that.”

The first three jurors were chosen Wednesday, including a former kindergarten teacher, an Amazon warehouse worker and a Southwest Side insurance underwriter.

Among those who were questioned Thursday but stricken for various reasons was a Navy veteran in his 40s originally from the Cleveland area, who said he gets details of the Madigan case “mixed up” with the corruption charges against former Ald. Edward Burke.

Also stricken for cause was Juror 18, a retired public schoolteacher who was asked whether she felt like Illinois politicians are “more corrupt” than in those other areas of the country. “They seem that way, based on what you see,” the woman said with a laugh. “This person and this person and this person.”

Madigan’s attorneys used only one peremptory strike Thursday against a woman, Juror 29, who had a long career in the U.S. Navy that took her all over the world in various positions, including one, she said, tracking down “deserters.”

At one point, Madigan attorney Tom Breen asked Juror 29 if there was anything about her experience that might hamper her ability to give Madigan a fair trial, especially since he’s a politician and a lawyer.

“He’s a person,” the woman responded.

“He is!” Breen exclaimed, and asked his client to stand. Madigan got halfway up from his chair before Blakey intervened.

“Counsel, that’s not necessary,” Blakey said sharply, directing Breen to ask a question.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, used three of their 11 total peremptory strikes, including one that dismissed an actress currently serving as an understudy in a popular musical. She said she wanted to be on the jury because it would be “an honor” to serve her country. “And I wanna make my mom proud,” she said.

Madigan, 82, once the enormously powerful speaker of the Illinois House, faces racketeering charges alleging he ran his state and political operations like a criminal enterprise, scheming with utility giants ComEd and AT&T to put his cronies on contracts requiring little or no work and using his public position to drum up business for his private law firm.

Both Madigan and his co-defendant, Michael McClain, 77, a former ComEd lobbyist and longtime confidant of Madigan’s, have pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com