Overview
- In a 71-page brief, Michael Madigan’s lawyers argue prosecutors stretched federal bribery and fraud statutes beyond recent Supreme Court limits and wrongly criminalized routine political conduct.
- The appeal challenges key trial rulings, including use of a stream‑of‑benefits theory without a specific quid pro quo, the jury instruction defining “corruptly” under Section 666, and Travel Act predicates that did not require a quid pro quo.
- Madigan was convicted in February on 10 of 23 counts, including a scheme involving ComEd no‑show subcontracts and a plan to seek a state board appointment for Ald. Daniel Solis in exchange for business for Madigan’s law firm.
- He is serving a 90‑month sentence at a federal camp in Morgantown, West Virginia, after courts denied his bid to remain free pending appeal.
- Prosecutors must file their response by Dec. 3, the defense can reply by Dec. 24, and the appeals court is expected to hold oral arguments in early 2026.