Michael Madigan’s record-breaking stretch at the pinnacle of Illinois politics didn’t happen by accident.
A legendary tactician, Madigan knew the rules and in some cases even crafted them. To build power and maintain control, he counted the votes, sweated the details, marshalled the minutiae of election law, ward boundaries and political districts, and litigated the nominating signatures of opponents who stood in his way.
Madigan’s singular focus was seemingly no different in federal court over the past two weeks, where it’s not just an election or piece of legislation on the line, but his legacy and likely his freedom.
Over seven days of jury selection in his corruption trial, which began Oct. 8, Madigan has been a keen participant in an often-tedious process where many other defendants take a back seat and let the lawyers run the show.
Not so for Madigan, the 82-year-old former Democratic powerhouse, who has sat in court for hours on end, glasses perched low on his nose, with a yellow legal pad on his lap, scribbling notes in pencil and occasionally erasing something with a flourish.