Jurors in the Michael Madigan trial closed out their fifth day of deliberations Tuesday afternoon without reaching a verdict.
The jury began its discussion Wednesday afternoon, kicking off the final phase of a landmark four-month trial. Altogether the jurors have deliberated for roughly 29 hours — 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. 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 stop at 4:30 p.m. 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 caucus with a tight grip, is charged in 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 the judge a note asking for more highlighters, sticky notes and white-out.
That followed requests Wednesday for “more pens and highlighters and tape” and “at least five more copies of the indictment.”
“Apparently there is some kind of arts and crafts going on back there,” U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey quipped after reading the Thursday note. When another message from the jurors arrived later in the day, the judge joked that it would be a red flag only “if they start asking for pipe cleaners and macaroni.”
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, McClain, 77, is from downstate Quincy.
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 in which the utilities allegedly funneled payments through do-nothing subcontracts to a handful of the speaker’s closest allies.
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