The political drama that ended the Hispanic Democratic Organization's grip on city hiring ended yesterday, with the sentencing of long-time HDO chief and former Streets and San commissioner Al Sanchez, who was convicted of four counts of mail fraud last year. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman handed down a sentence of 2-1/2 years in federal prison for Sanchez. But he didn't go quietly. more ›

And so we're here. After a surreal, 19-month long roller coaster ride of insanity, the main event is upon us: the Blagojevich Trial. Sure, there's plenty of court action to talk about and more than worth following: the ongoing Jon Burge trial and the approaching Drew Peterson murder trial, to name two. But both will take a back seat to the three-ring circus that is the federal corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich. And, to be honest, there have been so many twists and turns - Christopher Kelly's suicide, Rod's Celebrity Apprentice stint, the Esquire story - that we'd understand if you've had a hard time following the case. Remember the morning of his arrest and the original indictment? It seems like so long ago. Just this past December, Karl valiantly recapped some of the twists and turns that took place in that first since Blago's arrest. Blago's own attorney declared him a "celebrity idiot" which inspired Karl to break into song. And did we mention the actor/mystery-writer judge that's presiding over the case? more ›

Now that he's done with Celebrity Apprentice, former governor Rod Blagojevich can get back to focusing on that pesky little federal trial of his coming up this summer. But as the preparation continues, it's looking more and more likely that Team Blago will dip into taxpayer funds to pay for his defense. Right now, all the fees - including Blago's attorneys' fees of $110 per hour - are being paid by his campaign fund which stood at $2.8 million upon his arrest in December 2008. U.S. District Judge James Zagel put limits on the spending and the attorneys' fees while allowing the team to tap those funds. more ›

We know it's not Chicago-related, but we know many in Chicago are following the proceedings of the Prop 8 trial out in California. Our sisters sites LAist and SFist will have ongoing coverage throughout the trial. Get caught up with LAist's Guide to the trial and some of SFist's coverage from earlier today. more ›

Now that he's no longer Governor, Rod Blagojevich can turn his attention to his upcoming federal trial and, more importantly, finding a new lead attorney. Star defender Ed Genson quit Blago's legal team on the heels of Blago's media blitz, which Genson disapproved of. With that, all the ex-gov is left with is "longtime friend" Sheldon Sorosky. The father-son pair of Sam Adams Jr. and Sr. handles some of Blago's impeachment proceedings but have not yet committed to the federal portion of Blago's legal woes. The Sun-Times reports that Rod and Patti met with several prospective attorneys over the weekend in an attempt to fill out the roster. more ›