THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Madigan trial postponed...New DCFS director...Capitol bomb threat
January 4, 2024
Good morning, Illinois.
We’re hosting a live Q&A on politics and corruption at 1pm today with the great Chicago Tribune reporter Ray Long. Ray, of course, literally wrote the book on Michael Madigan, so he’ll have some great insight.
Drop me your questions at mailbag@theillinoize.com or just reply to this e-mail.
You can watch the Livestream here at 1pm:
Drop in and let us know what you think.
I’ll also be taping GOP operative Collin Corbett’s “Smoke Filled Room” podcast tomorrow. They’ll post it Friday morning on YouTube.
The legislature returns to Springfield in 12 days. There are 75 days remaining to the March 19 primary. Tick. Tock.
There is nothing on Governor Pritzker’s public schedule today. He hasn’t been seen publicly since December 14.
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YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
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Judge delays corruption trial of Michael Madigan while Supreme Court considers case out of Indiana (Chicago Sun-Times)
A federal judge agreed Wednesday to delay the racketeering trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan for six months while the Supreme Court considers a Northwest Indiana corruption case revolving around a key statute at play in Madigan’s case.
U.S. District Judge John Blakey rescheduled Madigan’s highly anticipated trial for Oct. 8. He cited the risk of a retrial if he pushed ahead before the high court rules. And he said that result would be unfair to all parties, including the “unsung” hero jurors who would end up sitting through a lengthy trial all for naught.
“I don’t do this lightly,” Blakey said. “I do it reluctantly, I’ll say that. But it’s better to do it right than to do it twice.”
The judge handed down his ruling as Madigan made his first courtroom appearance as a criminal defendant at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. Though Blakey had given Madigan the option of appearing by video for the 2 p.m. hearing, Madigan instead walked into the building shortly after 1:30 p.m.
He took a seat in the front row of Blakey’s courtroom but later sat at a defense table. When Blakey asked Madigan if he agreed to the delay in his trial, Madigan stood at a podium and replied, “Yes I do, your honor.”
Madigan’s trial had been set for April 1. He is accused of leading a “criminal enterprise” for nearly a decade designed to enhance his political power and generate income for his allies and associates.
The Supreme Court has now slowed the [process] — and delayed the biggest Chicago corruption trial since former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s — by picking up the case of James Snyder, a former mayor of Portage, Indiana.
The high court’s ruling in the Snyder case is unlikely to seriously damage the case against Madigan. Still, Blakey said even a nuanced decision could have some effect. He described the danger of pressing forward in April by recalling the days when one of his small children would leave a Lego block on the floor for him to step on in the dark.
He told attorneys he feared the “Supreme Court’s going to give us a Lego.”
Meanwhile, he noted that some of the best prosecutors and defense attorneys in town would be wrapped up for months with a complicated criminal case, while “hundreds” of people are summoned out of their normal routines to possibly serve as jurors.
I have a pile of thoughts on the political consequences of this and I’ll share them with subscribers tomorrow, but let’s just say it’s not smart for Republicans to make Madigan the central focus of their campaign messaging (again and again and again) this fall.
Related: Ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s racketeering trial postponed 6 months pending Supreme Court decision in bribery case (Chicago Tribune)
Mike Madigan corruption trial delayed (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Madigan trial delayed until October for SCOTUS review of bribery statute (Capitol News Illinois)
An Illinois lawmaker wants to ban ex-Speaker Michael Madigan’s portrait from the capitol (WBEZ)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker appoints juvenile justice veteran to run embattled child welfare agency (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday announced a new leader for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, shifting a veteran youth justice practitioner who oversees the state’s juvenile detention system to head the troubled child welfare agency.
Heidi Mueller, who has been director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice since 2016, was chosen to head DCFS following a national search to replace Marc Smith, who has led the agency since April 2019. Smith, selected by Pritzker during his first year in office, announced in October he was stepping down.
Mueller said in a statement that during her time with the juvenile justice department she “witnessed firsthand the critical importance of a strong and supportive safety net for our state’s most vulnerable residents, and the tragedy that results when there are holes in that net.”
Mueller, whose appointment must be confirmed by the Illinois Senate, will take over an agency that has been the frequent target of criticism by Pritzker’s political foes as well as some of his fellow Democrats throughout his nearly five years in office.
Related: Governor names new DCFS director (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois juvenile justice chief to take over troubled child-services agency (Associated Press)
Youth justice expert Heidi Mueller will head up embattled Illinois DCFS (Chicago Sun-Times)
Smith out, Mueller in as new director of DCFS (State Journal-Register)
Illinois State Capitol receives bomb threat, building sweep finds no credible evidence (State Journal-Register)
The Illinois Secretary of State Police reported a bomb threat on Wednesday morning at the state Capitol.
In response, the hazardous device unit swept the interior of the building in addition to areas outside the Howlett, Stratton, and Archives buildings also on the complex. No evidence of a credible threat was found and state workers did not have to evacuate.
The bomb threat in Springfield was among several state Capitols receiving threats Wednesday, including in Georgia, Kentucky, and Michigan, among others.
A September bomb threat at the Illinois State Library forced an evacuation.
Related: Illinois among several states hit with bomb threats to their capitols (Chicago Tribune)
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POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Laborer's Local 773 officials have confirmed that Edward M Smith, retired CEO and president, has died (WPSD)
With buses coming to suburbs and Chicago, state launching intake center for migrants (Daily Herald)
Wave of Chicago suburbs move to block migrant arrivals (Chicago Sun-Times)
What to look for in Illinois government, politics in 2024 (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Unions look to state for solutions after year of higher ed labor action (Capitol News Illinois)
Here’s how Illinois Democrats in Congress split on Israel-Hamas war, antisemitism legislation (Chicago Sun-Times)
DeKalb alderwoman blasts city’s proposed migrant ordinance as ‘unwelcoming’ (Shaw Media) [note: Zasada is the progressive running against moderate DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes in the 76th District primary.)
Remodeled Springfield DMV reopens, here's what to know about hours and services (State Journal-Register)
Editorial: ‘The job still isn’t done’ (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Cancel a portrait of Michael Madigan at the Capitol? That’s no picture-perfect idea. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Vallas: With the start of the new year, here is a sobering look at the state of Illinois (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: What legislators can do, judges can always undo (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Pension puzzle always something of a moving target (Shaw Media)
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