The ComEd 4 corruption trial proves concentrated power breeds corruption. The fix? Reform the rules former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan crafted to concentrate all that power.

Now that the 103rd Illinois General Assembly is sworn in, an early order of business will be to establish the rules of the chambers. Those rules need more reform to ensure another Mike Madigan doesn’t gather too much power.

The Illinois General Assembly voted for a decade to eliminate annual cost-of-living adjustments for lawmaker salaries after the Great Recession. Now, former state lawmakers are suing the state to put that money right back into politicians’ pockets.

The House Rules allowed Madigan to accumulate unprecedented power in the Illinois speaker’s office and helped enable a culture of corruption in Springfield. With Madigan out, reformers have a shot at changing the House Rules.

After decades under Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s rule, Illinois is corroding from his concentration of power. Robust ethics laws, rules and norms could stop a new Madigan from rising.

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s power over Illinois politics is more precarious than ever. A steady stream of federal investigations, wiretaps and raids of people close to him, a deferred prosecution agreement with Commonwealth Edison wherein the utility giant admitted to bribing the speaker, and a grand jury subpoena served to Madigan’s office have led...

America’s longest-serving politician is at the center of a federal corruption investigation into lobbying, bribery and using ComEd for political patronage jobs.

The FBI wiretap of Mike McClain's phone is an indication authorities could be looking into criminal activity between House Speaker Mike Madigan and utility giant ComEd.

Government corruption is nothing new for Illinoisans. Illinois is the second-most corrupt state in the nation, according to research by the University of Illinois-Chicago. And corruption costs the state economy more than $550 million per year. What is new? Powerful Illinois lawmakers, Chicago aldermen, local mayors and business interests are involved in what appears to be...