Former Illinois House Speaker Madigan to Serve Time in Prison during Appeal. 

Michael Madigan, the longest-serving democratic speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, will have to begin serving his seven-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption and bribery while he appeals. According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times,  Madigan helped advance the political career of City Councilman Danny Solis in exchange for Solis drumming up business for Madigan’s law firm. Additionally, according to a report in Capitol News Illinois, Madigan was prominently involved in a wide-ranging and complex scheme involving the local branch of AT&T and the construction of an apartment complex, which was marked by a shady contract despite no work being completed. This is quite the fall from grace for someone who has been deeply involved in Illinois politics for decades.  I’m shocked that, in 2025, Chicago could still be plagued by political corruption in the Democratic Party.