Inherit The Windbag: The Blagojevich Trial Begins

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 3, 2010 2:00PM

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?

Yesterday, a last minute motion by Team Blago for a delay in the trial was denied, U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel defended the dismissal of nearly 300 potential jurors, and Blago took in a game of kickball to relax before the big day. And today the trial will begin, albeit slowly, with jury selection. Many accused in the fraud with Blago have already pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the feds, leaving Blago to face this trial with just his brother, Rob, alongside him. And there are others not in the courtroom who will be (and should be) sweating. Rahmbo may testify. Obama won't. Patti and Rod will.

We hope you're hunkered down because the trial could last as long as four months, by some estimations. And while it's easy to make a joke of this whole thing - something we've been more than guilty of - it's still worth following. Besides the plot twists that put Days of Our Lives to shame (and that show had things like an evil twin doppelgänger and a swamp monster), it's one of the most extensive cases of government corruption this state has seen in long time and the reach is far. After 19 months, it's easy to understand burn-out on the case; many reached that point long ago. But it's an important case and one worth following. Luckily, the local press has more than a few ways to keep you informed of all that's going on.

• Perhaps the best layout we've seen goes to Fox Chicago whose nifty layout of all the major players helps keep things sorted out and let's you click through each person to get background on their role.
• Thats not to say there aren't other mainstream media outlets doing a good job of getting us covered. The Tribune's Jeff Coen, who did a fantastic job with the Family Secrets trial, will be leading their coverage. Their clearing house for Blago stories can be found here and they've also got a slew of court documents for your review.
• The Sun-Times' Natasha Korecki has probably had the most comprehensive, exhaustive coverage of the Blago case and has been a daily destination for us for all news on the labyrinth of Blagojevich.
• WBEZ has a link to the second set of indictments [PDF], run by the feds in case the Supreme Court overturns the honest services law which was the basis for some of the original charges against Blagojevich.
• Chicago Magazine has rounded up their series of pretty solid features on Blagojevich and all the case's participants here.
• And while no regular coverage is probably planned, our pal Steve Rhodes at the Beachwood Reporter will probably have plenty to say about the ongoing trial and whatever he says, it'll be worth reading.
• As for us, we'll do our best to bring you a round-up of the case each morning, so keep following along with us.