The jury got the case last Wednesday afternoon at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. Deliberations are expected to continue each weekday until a verdict is reached or a mistrial is declared.

Judge John Robert Blakey had a phone conference with prosecutors and defense lawyers Tuesday morning about unsealing records related to the case. Blakey expressed the desire to unseal items that were temporarily sealed and said he wanted to make sure procedures were squared away before the jury reached a verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amar Bhachu said prosecutors circulated a list of items to defense attorneys. Madigan attorney Dan Collins suggested that there was not disagreement. Bhachu mentioned the possibility of giving the attorney for former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo, D-Chicago, seven days to address the unsealing of a December meeting Acevedo had with attorneys in the judge’s chamber.

Attorneys mentioned privacy concerns for prospective jurors with a criminal history, which is not a matter of public record. McClain attorney Patrick Cotter noted that the distinguishing feature about the case might be the amount of media attention given to investigating records.

The judge said there would be a “high bar” for keeping records sealed.

Blakey also discussed courthouse rooms the defense lawyers have used during the trial, saying one room would have to be cleared for another trial.

In the afternoon, the judge read juror note #28 of the Madigan trial, which advised the court that jurors would be leaving at 4:30 p.m. instead of at 4:45 p.m. from Monday through Thursday for the duration of the case.

“Sounds good,” Blakey said he would tell them, and attorneys for all parties approved.

Madigan, D-Chicago, served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021 and was speaker for all but two years between 1983 and 2021. He chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois for 23 years.

McClain, D-Quincy, worked as a lobbyist for years after serving in the Illinois House from 1973 to 1982.

Madigan has pleaded not guilty to 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct in connection with a scheme prosecutors dubbed, “The Madigan Enterprise.” McClain is charged with six corruption-related counts and has also pleaded not guilty.

Government attorneys say ComEd and AT&T Illinois gave out no-work or little-work jobs and contract work to Madigan allies to get legislation passed that would benefit them in Springfield.

In 2023, McClain and three others were convicted in the related ComEd Four trial. ComEd agreed to pay $200 million in fines as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with prosecutors.

AT&T Illinois agreed to pay $23 million as part of a deferred prosecution agreement in 2022.

Madigan and McClain are also accused of using Madigan’s public office to illegally steer business to his private law firm.

State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, recalled Madigan’s influence when she was under consideration for appointment to the Statehouse.

“I did have to deal with the challenge to my qualifications when I was appointed initially, so we certainly did have some difficulty at the beginning of that process,” Delgado told The Center Square.

Delgado was appointed in 2019 after her predecessor, Luis Arroyo, D-Chicago, was indicted on bribery charges and resigned. Arroyo pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2022 to five years in prison.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Collins said the U.S. Supreme Court raised the bar for prosecutors when it overturned the bribery conviction of former Portage, Indiana Mayor James Snyder last June.

“You have these really contrasting situations, the circumstantial evidence vs. the direct evidence tension. Then you have the high Snyder bar, but you have the common sense of the jurors,” Collins told The Center Square.

Jury deliberations are scheduled to resume Wednesday morning in the case of the United States of America v. Michael Madigan and Michael McClain.