We weren't in the courtroom, but we were on Twitter. Kind of the same thing. more ›

That's right, he's still looming out there, the great-haired one, biding his time while we crap ourselves about who will be our next mayor, there's still the matter of our former governor. There was a hearing today to set a few things for the Blagojevich retrial, expected to kick off early next year. First of all, names of the jurors won't be released until 24 hours after the verdict, a decision the media has until November 1 to appeal. Judge Zagel also said the new questionnaire heading out to potential jurors will tell them to expect the retrial to last 10 to 11 weeks, shorter than the expected four months of the first trial. He also set a November 15 deadline for the prosecution to file any changes to their "road map" and an October 1 deadline for any shuffling of defense attorneys. A source told Chicago Mag's Carol Felsenthal that the father-son duo of Sam Adam Sr. and Jr. might be split up as Sr. wants to stay on board while Jr. wants out. There's also talk Blago might try to qualify as an "indigent defendant" which qualifies him for taxpayer-funded attorneys though Judge Zagel has indicated if Blago winds up with such a defense, he'll be limited to two attorneys. more ›

What with all the fussing about the ongoing drama of the Blago jury, a new note to Judge Zagel could signal the jury is close to reaching the finish line on this, the 14th day of deliberations. So close, in fact that Michael Ettinger, attorney for Robert Blagojevich, thinks the jury will come back with a verdict today. As for the actual note: more ›

There's been a lot of rumor-swirling today after the jury reported to Judge Zagel that it had a question. Attorneys were due in court for a 2:30 p.m. hearing but not much else was known. Prior to that, though, attorneys had a closed-door meeting with Judge Zagel though we still have no idea what that was about. NBC 5's Ward Room reported that Judge Zagel requested Blago's presence in court today, though, signalling... well, we don't know what Earlier today, in spite of the rumors, Team Blago attorney Sheldon Sorosky indicated that, as far as he knew, the question was procedural and likely didn't have to do with a situation such as the jury reaching a verdict on some counts but remaining deadlocked on others. And ABC 7's Chuck Goudie has reported that sources tell him that there's no verdict but the judge does want both Blagojevich Brothers present for the jury's question. more ›

While yesterday afternoon's legal fireworks were the highlight of courtroom proceedings in the Blagojevich trial, Phil Rogers over at NBC5 brings us a bit of lunacy-related info that otherwise got overlooked. Everyone in the public eye gets their share of letters from people who could generously be called cuckoo for cocoa puffs, and yesterday Judge Zagel shared some of his. more ›

The Blagojevich trial resumed Thursday morning as Joseph Cari continued his testimony, detailing alleged dealings with Stuart Levine which included an alleged shake-down of a Virginia-based private equity firm, JER Partners. While Cari admitted under cross that Blago wasn't directly involved with the JER dealings, he did say, “It was very clear to me, based on conversations with [Chris] Kelly, [Tony] Rezko, and the governor, that if you did not play ball the way they wanted, there were repercussions.” more ›

Now that you're all caught up on your Blagojevich Case history and the Opening Ceremonies concluded, it's time to get down to business. The business of selecting the jury. The first panel of 34 jurors was seated and Judge Zagel grilled them pretty good by all accounts. In particular, Juror No. 126 got Zagel's full attention regarding his juror questionnaire, having listed "bad temper" as a medical condition and claiming "self-interest and short-term interests will kill our country." Zagel asked the juror, "Is there anything you wouldn't say to get out of jury service?" While Zagel made the potential juror squirm, Blago seemed to be quite comfortable in the courtroom; the Tribune reported that Blago, "continued scribbling away on a notepad as the jurors are questioned, stopping occasionally to pick lint off the sleeves of his suit." But as the Sun-Times notes, maybe Blago is a little loose. 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 ›

While our former governor is watching his Celebrity Apprentice run play out on the small screen, his attorneys have been in court working for him. But U.S. District Judge James Zagel denied their request to delay the opening of his trial until November and it will start on June 3 as planned. Natasha Korecki reports for the Sun-Times: more ›

It seems former governor Rod Blagojevich's federal trial might get underway come April 2010. At a status hearing this morning, U.S. District Judge James Zagel said he prefers for the trial to start by next April and by July 2010 at the latest. Zagel also floated the idea of an anonymous jury. Blagojevich defense attorney Sam Adam Jr. said, "If that's what the judge orders I'll be ready." more ›