Neither politics nor back pain will delay the start of State Representative Derrick Smith’s federal corruption trial next week.
Smith’s trial is set to begin next Wednesday.
But the Chicago Democrat is also supposed to be in Springfield then - for the closing days of the legislative session.
So Smith’s lawyer - Vic Henderson - wanted a delay for his client.
HENDERSON: He thought it was critical to be there for the last several days in order to represent the people in his district, and he made a request to do that.
But Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman says he should have planned ahead - and DENIED the request.
That could be a problem for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan - who’s looking for votes to make a recent income tax hike permanent.
Madigan says Smith was a solid “yes.”
Henderson also brought up a new reason to delay the trial: a mysterious back injury that cropped up after Smith got in a car accident last month..
HENDERSON: Uh, what I can tell you is that, you know, you go into the hospital, they give you tests, and then, you get tested and other things come up and so that’s what transpired.
When Henderson questioned whether Smith could sit through a trial - the judge said - quote - “he can stand.”