Michael Madigan trial: Jury still out after 8 days of deliberations
Michael Madigan trial: Jury still undecided on eighth day of deliberations
After eight days of deliberations, the jury is still out in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and his longtime political associate Michael McClain.
CHICAGO - After eight days of deliberations, the jury is still out in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and his longtime political associate Michael McClain.
They logged roughly 50 hours in the deliberation room and left at 3 p.m. on Friday without a verdict.
For much of this week, we hadn't heard a thing from jurors, but that changed Friday when they asked for clarification on their jury instructions.
Around lunchtime, they submitted a note to the judge asking for call transcripts and some guidance.
Since last Wednesday, Jan. 29, the group of 12 jurors—eight women and four men—has been quietly reviewing a vast amount of evidence, including wiretap recordings, internal emails, and other documents.
Jury note
What we know:
Friday brought about the most movement we have seen from the jury in days.
They sent a note to the judge just after 11 a.m. Around 12:15 p.m., it was read in court. However, it wasn't Judge John Robert Blakey on the bench; instead, Judge Edmond Chang, who temporarily stood in his place.
Chang shared that "Blakey is unavoidably absent today," and said the presiding judge asked him to step in while he is gone.
The jury asked if they could be provided two hard copies of the stipulations and two binders that included call transcripts.
There were no objections from either side.
Additionally, the jury wanted clarification on specific jury instructions. They asked the following:
- "Is bonafide salary considered something of value?"
- "Is bonafide salary a valuable thing?"
The attorneys debated whether or not they should give a specific answer, arguing that it may be up to the jury to determine that.
The judge, however, believed it was a fair question and that guidance should be provided. Chang conferred with Blakey on the matter via phone, as well.
Chang’s response to the jury was that salary and wages that come from a normal course of business do not qualify as a thing of value, but if they are obtained by means of bribery, that should not be considered a "normal" course of business.
Ultimately, he reminded the jury it is up to them to determine the facts of this case.
Jury deliberations
The backstory:
The jury in this landmark case was seated in mid-October. Jurors have been meticulously sifting through evidence presented during the nearly four-month-long trial.
They’ve heard testimony from more than 60 witnesses and listened to dozens of wiretap recordings in court.
They have also been provided with a laptop to access key files as they work through the 23 counts against Madigan and six counts against McClain. Their jury instructions, alone, amount to more than 100 pages.
"When we've seen some of the other big corruption trials in Chicago, the juries have come back a little bit sooner than this, but in reality, there's 23 counts," said Connie Mixon, professor of political science at Elmhurst University.
Mixon, who is also the director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University, shared that the time jurors are taking shows their dedication to the job.
"These jurors are taking their job seriously and they're not letting other things, like a weekend, get in the way of their deliberation," Mixon said. "In reality, if not everybody is on board and there's still material to go through, they will keep working."
With no verdict reached before the weekend began, Madigan and McClain will need to await their fate a bit longer.
This marks the second weekend that deliberations remain underway.
"It doesn't surprise me that they've asked for clarification on things, that they've asked for additional information, so this may take a while," Mixon said.
What's next:
If convicted, Madigan, 82, and McClain, 77, could face significant prison time, though their ages may play a role in sentencing considerations.
No decision was reached on Friday, so deliberations will stretch into next week. Jurors will return Monday morning to pick up where they left off.