Ex-Illinois Speaker, ‘Velvet Hammer’ Heads to Corruption Trial

Federal prosecutors pursuing public corruption in Illinois face perhaps their highest-profile challenge in a generation beginning Tuesday, as they attempt to convict former state House speaker Michael J. Madigan (D) on corruption charges.

They’ve successfully convicted several individuals swept up in an investigation that included probing Madigan’s decades-long tenure in office. Now they are taking on Madigan, a nearly mythical Illinois political figure the Justice Department accused of bribery, extortion, and racketeering.

Madigan, 82, the longest serving House leader of any state in US history, was indicted in October 2022 for allegedly running a criminal enterprise to accumulate political power, ...