Madigan jury selection continues, opening arguments not expected until Wednesday

(The Center Square) – As jury selection proceeds in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, attorneys on both sides say the case may take 11 weeks instead of 10.

Five people were added to the jury Thursday. Along with the three jurors who were seated Wednesday, eight members of the jury are now in place.

The pace of prospective juror questioning accelerated from 36 minutes per person on Wednesday to 21 minutes by midday Thursday, but prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to Judge John Robert Blakey's suggestion that they revise their estimates for the length of the trial.

Blakey said Thursday that there was no way opening arguments would begin next Tuesday, after he had said Wednesday that the court’s “aspiration” was for opening arguments to begin Tuesday.

Madigan is facing 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct.

Reflecting on Madigan's tenure, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, told The Center Square that people in Madigan’s office found ways to harass her when he was speaker.

“On more than one occasion there were actually inquiries made that they presented as innocent but not things that are normal,” Cassidy recalled.

The trial of Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain is being held in Chicago, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

McClain worked as a consultant and lobbyist after serving in the Illinois House. Cassidy said she generally avoided interacting with McClain.

“He did try to befriend me, I guess is the way to put it. I remember getting a handwritten note and a personal check from him, maybe in my first campaign, where he talked about what a promising leader I appeared to be or something to that effect, but that ended pretty quickly. From the very start, I was very clearly not somebody that was going to be controlled,” Cassidy said.

Jury selection for United States of America v. Madigan et al is scheduled to resume Friday morning in Courtroom 1203.