A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the 10 guilty verdicts against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, rejecting his legal team’s arguments and affirming the validity of the jury’s decision in his high-profile corruption case.
The ruling, issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, found no errors in the jury instructions or in the trial proceedings. The court’s opinion, written by Judge Michael Scudder, dismissed Madigan’s claim that his conduct amounted to “run-of-the-mill politics,” stating: “A jury of twelve Illinois residents saw the evidence differently. So do we.”
Madigan was convicted in February 2025 on 10 out of 23 federal corruption charges following a four-month trial. The jury acquitted him on seven counts and deadlocked on six others. The most serious of the charges, including bribery, related to legislative actions that benefited the utility company Commonwealth Edison (ComEd).
Testimony during Madigan’s trial, as well as in the related 2023 “ComEd Four” case, revealed that ComEd was facing severe financial difficulties before 2011. After a series of favorable legislative victories in Springfield—allegedly influenced by Madigan—the company rebounded financially and began to prosper.
Madigan’s legal team had argued for a new trial, citing issues similar to those raised in the “ComEd Four” case, where a different appellate panel ordered a retrial for two individuals convicted of bribing Madigan. However, the Seventh Circuit panel reviewing Madigan’s appeal was not convinced, emphasizing what it called a “mountain of evidence” presented by federal prosecutors.
The 82-year-old Madigan is currently serving a 7½-year sentence in a federal prison in West Virginia. The appellate court’s decision leaves his convictions—and his prison term—firmly in place.