The Illinois Supreme Court disbarred former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in November, closing out a legal career that began nearly six decades earlier and formally ending his standing as a licensed attorney in the state.
The disbarment followed Madigan’s conviction earlier last year on 10 federal corruption counts, including bribery, after a jury acquitted him on seven other charges and deadlocked on six more. Madigan was later sentenced to seven and a half years in prison along with a $2.5 million fine; under federal sentencing rules requiring him to serve at least 85% of his term, he is expected to be in his late 80s before he becomes eligible for release.
Rather than contest the disciplinary proceeding, Madigan filed a motion to have his name struck from the state’s roll of attorneys before the Illinois Supreme Court’s Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission completed its own investigation into his conduct. Court records show the disbarment was ultimately entered as a consent disbarment, formally closing the file first opened under Illinois Supreme Court disciplinary case number 2025PR00044.
Madigan, who served as Illinois House Speaker for 36 years, was one of the most powerful political figures in state history before his conviction. His attorneys have since filed an appeal seeking to overturn the underlying corruption conviction; that appeal remains pending.
Illinois News Today will continue to follow developments in the case as Madigan’s appeal moves through the federal court system.