June 8, 2015
GUIDELINES FOR PROCEEDINGS 15 CR 315 U.S.A. v. HASTERT
The following procedures will apply in connection with the arraignment in U.S.A. v. Hastert, scheduled to commence at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 in Courtroom 1441.
• The U.S. Marshals Service will be in charge of providing security and may limit seating as necessary to ensure the safety of all present.
• All cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices must be turned off while in courtroom 1441.
• Seats will be reserved for news organizations with reporters assigned to the courthouse on a full-time basis: Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Southtown and WBBM-AM. Each organization is allowed one reserved seat in this row, and must be present at 1:40 p.m. in the hallway outside the courtroom.
• Sketch artists will be provided a seat and must be present at 1:40 p.m. in the hallway outside the courtroom.
• All other media and public will line up in the public corridor outside courtroom 1441. Admission to the courtroom will be on a first come, first served basis. Once all seats are occupied, the courtroom will be closed and those without seats will be directed to the overflow courtroom, 1425.
• Due to other court proceedings, media and spectators may not line up prior to 11:30 a.m.
• Courtroom 1425 will be an audio overflow courtroom only. The media may use laptops and smart phones, etc. to work on their stories in courtroom 1425, but may not record, stream, or photograph while in the courtroom pursuant to Local Rule 83.1. The audio feed will also be streamed to the media office on the second floor.
• Photographing and video or audio recording or transmission of court proceedings is prohibited.
• No beverages or food (other than water at counsel table or the witness stand) are allowed in the courtroom.
• No conversations or disruptive gestures are permitted in the courtroom.
• No interviews or interview requests are permitted on the 14th floor or any other floor of the E.M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse other than in the lobby, pursuant to General Order 07-001.
• Pursuant to General Order 07-001, found at www.ilnd.uscourts.gov, Clerk’s Office Page/Media Information, interviews may occur only in the media area of the lobby. Filming of any security equipment or uniformed security personnel is prohibited.
• Media personnel will have lobby access until 6:00 p.m.
• The recording, streaming, or use of cameras is not allowed in the courthouse, except in the
media area in the lobby.
• Cameras are prohibited in all areas of the courthouse except in the media area of the lobby.
• The U.S. Marshals Service is allowed to restrict the entrance to the media area in the lobby should there arise a life safety issue with occupancy.
• The media is reminded that public safety must be considered, and any action that may cause an unsafe environment will be addressed by the U.S. Marshals Service.
• Failure to comply with these rules will result in removal from the courtroom. Any violation of a court order will be addressed appropriately.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 12:56 pm:
He has nothing to lose. He should announce that he is coming out of the closet, and make that announcement dressed in a white girdle on the front cover of “Vanity Fair”.
- Precinct Captain - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 1:01 pm:
Leave it up to VM to paint Caitlyn Jenner in the same brush with an alleged pedophile. Sick.
- A guy - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 1:35 pm:
If you’re a new face to us….yeah, stay home and watch the news outlets of the old faces to us.
- The Politburo - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 1:39 pm:
No interviews in the entire courthouse outside the lobby? My gosh. I’m guessing that rule has been violated roughly 1,000,000,000,000,000 times. Ridiculous. If it becomes unruly in some fashion, then deal with it. Otherwise let the First Amendment prevail.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 1:42 pm:
LOL
- Ease Dropping - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 1:44 pm:
====I’m guessing that rule has been violated roughly 1,000,000,000,000,000 times====
You obviously haven’t been in the Fed courthouse. Always happens in the lobby or on the street outside. They run a tight ship there.
- U.S. Marshal in da Family - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 1:53 pm:
Ease Dropping is correct. As someone with a relative in the U.S. Marshal Service who has worked in Federal Judicial Districts across the country I can assure you they do indeed run a tight ship. They are most definitely the “not messing around crew”.
- Amalia - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 2:19 pm:
this is so very sad. for the victims most deeply and for all who love them, for those who supported Mr. Hastert, for the Chicago area, and certainly for the Republican party. Hoping something good can come out of this. Let’s start with pedophile does not equal straight or gay. it equals nothing more than criminal.
- Stones - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 2:21 pm:
Most large jurisdictions have similar media rules for high profile trials.
- The Politburo - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 3:15 pm:
And so no reporter ever talked to anyone in that courthouse outside the lobby?
No way.
- Jonah - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 3:34 pm:
Rich, has there been any chatter about possible extortion charges for Witness “A”.
How in the world, in this day and age, does somebody get 3.5 million from Haesert, and not pay taxes on it to the IRS?
- Jonah - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 3:38 pm:
Amalia, well said
- The Politburo - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 3:58 pm:
Why no extortion charge? Just a guess, but a prosecutor’s job is to seek justice, not convictions. So, if criminal charges can’t be brought against Hastert due to SOL, and charging the victim could be seen as pouring salt on wounds, then the prosecutor might well have seen this as the best solution. It is, at end of day, a balancing act, and bringing criminal charges against the victim of a child molester would seem to many to be an affront to justice.
- Precinct Captain - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 4:23 pm:
==- Jonah - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 3:34 pm:==
==- The Politburo - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 3:58 pm:==
If there is some kind of out of court settlement/contract, then it is not extortion.
- blue collar - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 4:54 pm:
PC Even if the settlement/contract was coerced?
- The Politburo - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 4:57 pm:
Precinct Captain,
Are you certain about this? I’m reminded of a quote from a certain movie: “She was doing pretty good with her lawsuit. But before she could start counting her money, the boys back home decided to settle the case out of court instead. So they sent me.”
I might be wrong about this, but just because you have a signed agreement witnessed by a notary doesn’t necessarily make it legal, anymore than if Pablo Escobar gave you a receipt for your kilos.
- nadia - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 8:34 pm:
A banishment from this blog could be easily achieved when I think about concurrent convictions of Schock and Hastert with shared time in the same cell, they may never . . . oh forget it.
- Conusone - Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 6:27 am:
Amailia & others: Sure the pedo is a criminal, and maybe SOL has run out, and maybe/maybe not the ‘payee’ will face charges.
BUT: A NY Times piece (sorry the link has gotten away from me), late last week, said Hastert likely will be able to have a TAX DEDUCTION on a % of the ‘payments’! Fair is fair, for sure … !!!