Jury selection quickly spotlights state politics

The federal perjury trial of former Springfield insider Tim Mapes was bound to highlight the tight-knit nature of Illinois politics and the fierce opinions it engenders.

That became clear even during jury selection: One prospective juror said he is close friends with a former state representative. Two worked for AT&T, a company caught up in the widespread corruption scandal related to powerful former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Then there was the potential juror who wrote in her questionnaire that Madigan, Mapes’ ex-boss, could not be trusted.

Further, she wrote, she hopes Madigan “and all his friends go to jail.”

She was dismissed shortly afterward.

In all, 22 people made it past the first round of cuts Monday as prosecutors and defense lawyers sifted through the potential jurors. The process is slated to continue Tuesday morning. Opening statements are expected to begin after attorneys have selected 12 jurors along with alternates.

Mapes, 68, is accused of lying to…