A phone call between Rahm Emanuel and former Rod Blagojevich chief of staff John Harris is missing from the FBI wiretap records of the former governor. Blagojevich's attorneys filed a pre-trial motion today to have prosecutors include the conversation in the records on the belief that it can help Blagojevich's defense. more ›

Back in May I was with friends dining at Opart Thai in Lincoln Square when we ran out of booze between the appetizers and entrees. I went to the liquor store next door to replenish the beer when I came face-to-face with former Governor Sound Bite hisself. Rod Blagojevich was with younger daughter Annie, dressed in a green polo shirt with the Cubs logo and jeans, buying some Yellow Tail wine for his own dinner and holding court with a rapt audience of two - the store's owners. He paid for his wine, shook the owners' hands, patted me on the shoulder and said he couldn't wait for his trial to start. "Soon, everyone will know that the truth is on our side," Blagojevich said, not a hair out of place on his vain little head. It was then that I realized that Rod Blagojevich was a born politician, now barred by state law from doing the job he was born to do best. Blagojevich doesn't know how to do anything else but be a politician. more ›

PRosecutors in Rod Blagojevich's retrial filed a 34-page complaint yesterday against the former governor's former attorneys, Sam Adam, Sr. and Sam Adam, Jr. more ›

After a few days off, the trials of former police commander Jon Burge and former governor Rod Blagojevich pick back up this morning. In the Burge case, former detective Michael McDermott may testify today for the prosecution when it's expected he'll detail seeing Burge torture a suspect into a confession by using a typewriter cover to suffocate him. While the jury has heard from three alleged victims and the transcript of a now-deceased fourth victim, McDermott is the first detective to testify that he witnessed Burge and his "Midnight Crew" physically torture suspects, in this case the October 1985 torture of robbery suspect Shadeed Mu'min; Mu'min is also expected to testify for the prosecution who expect to wrap up their case soon. more ›

In a move that surprised absolutely no one, former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge pled not guilty this morning to charges of obstruction of justice and perjury in connection to alleged cases of police torture. May 11 was set as the trial date by U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow. Mayor Daley has yet to issue any statement on this latest development, sassy or otherwise, but we can save you the time and boil it down to this ahead of time: "It wasn't my fault!" more ›

Tony Rezko's October 28 sentencing date has been postponed indefinitely by U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve since Rezko is still in talks with the government about cooperating with other federal investigations. A status meeting will occur in December. And for you conspiracy theorists out there: "The sentencing, originally scheduled for Oct. 28, just before the election, was likely to bring unfavorable publicity to Rezko's onetime friend Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama." more ›

Lawyers for Tony Rezko filed papers in court on Friday asking a Federal judge to overturn Rezko's conviction on the grounds that the testimony of Stuart Levine was "unreliable." Said Rezko attorney Mariah Moran: "The court should order a new trial on the ground that the record in this case, polluted as it is by the inherently unreliable testimony of Levine, leaves such a strong doubt as to Rezko's guilt that it would be a miscarriage of justice to let the verdict stand." more ›

Today, a federal jury convicted Fernando King, the "chief operating officer" of the Chicago Latin Kings street gang, of drug conspiracy and attempted cocaine distribution. King, also referred to as the "supreme Inca," is the reputed number two in the Latin King chain of command. King has been in custody since December 2006 and is scheduled to be sentenced December 3. He faces a minimum of 20 years in prison. The jury caused a bit of stir because the note they handed the judge with their verdict also expressed concern for their own "security and safety," causing the defense to motion for a mistrial which was denied by the judge.

After court, King's lawyer, Joseph Lopez, said the note raised concerns that the jury may have been influenced by evidence that wasn't part of the trial. more ›

After being dragged out for years, we may be getting closer to resolution in the R. Kelly child pornography case: the defense is expected to rest by the end of the week, setting the stage for what promises to be an explosive round of closing arguments. But there's still plenty of courtroom drama left to unfurl. One of the primary questions heading into the trial's fourth week is whether or not the young woman at the center of all this mess will testify as a witness for the defense. The girl, Kelly's goddaughter, has denied that it's her on the tape and also refused to testify against Kelly for the prosecution. Even if she does agree to testify on Kelly's behalf, it doesn't mean Kelly's team will call her to the stand. According to former-prosecutor-turned-defense-attorney Bob Loeb:

"It's risky," Loeb said. "By calling her, you effectively reduce the entire defense to the believability of her testimony. . . . If the jury believes her when she says 'It isn't me,' that's a reasonable doubt and enough to acquit Kelly." more ›

], and some members of the Kelly jury pool have given us some great examples this week. One woman was dismissed for singing high praises of Kelly, calling him a "musical genius." When asked to say something negative about him, she reluctantly brought up his feud with Jay-Z. Another woman was dismissed because the judge thought the woman's impending June wedding would distract her from juror duties. One woman, when asked if she had an opinion on Kelly replied, "Yes, he's not very smart." The Sun-Times reported that the answer caused Kelly to wear "a hurt expression on his face." Sad panda. more ›