U.S. District Judge James Zagel has prosecuted a mass murderer, presided over issues of faith and most recently dealt with the media frenzy of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s trial.

And today, he will be at Eastern talking about the public trust in officials and the slew of recent and past exploitation of those in positions of power.

Because of its sensitivity, Zagel is not permitted to talk about the ongoing Blagojevich’s case.

However, during “The Breach of Public Trust” presentation, there will be a question and answer segment, where students and community members will be able to ask Zagel and visiting former U.S. attorney Jim Burns questions.

The presentation will take place at 4 p.m. today in the Recital Hall of the Doudna Fine Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Karen Swenson, a political science professor and the pre-law adviser, teaches classes like American Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Contemporary Constitutional Development and Moot Court.

Swenson said she hopes students that go to the event will know Zagel for more than just his role as judge in the two Blagojevich court cases.

“He’s a judge of great prominence, even before the Blagojevich trial, I think he had earned the reputation of being one of the most respected judges from the U.S. District Court for the Northern district of Illinois,” Swenson said.

Zagel graduated from Harvard Law School in 1965 and was confirmed to his district court office for the Northern District of Illinois in 1987 after being appointed by Ronald Reagan in the same year.

Swenson said the discussion will be particularly important for students who will be entering into the law or government positions.

“A number of our students do want to become lawyers and they will be dealing with federal judges and some of them will become federal judges themselves,” she said. “Honestly, I am more excited about it for that than the fact that he presided over a high profile trial.”

Swenson said it is rare for a federal judge to speak in a public way at all.

“(Federal judges) are expected to judge in a neutral manner so they are careful I think not to put out strong opinions on issues,” she said. “I think it shows how seriously he takes his role.”

Craig Eckert, the chairman of the sociology/anthropology department, said the issue of public trust is something that should be taken seriously by not only politicians, but by citizens who elect those officials into office.

Eckert is also the mayor of Philo.

Eckert said national distrust is an understandable trend because of the political climate an American citizen is faced with on a state and national level.

“The public sees a two-party system in which the level of discourse is low, a willingness to compromise and work together for the good of the country is impaired, and a confidence in institutions, particularly Congress, is very low,” Eckert said, in an email.

Especially in Illinois, Richard Wandling, a political science professor, said a public opinion has formed where citizens believe they are last on the priority list.

“Illinois developed a political culture over the years that came to view government mostly in self-interested terms, seeing governmental institutions as sources

of the pursuit of private advantage, as opposed to the pursuit of the broader public welfare,” he said.

Voters may also think about ulterior motives, he said.

“(People think) public officials really cannot be trusted to move beyond specific interests

they come to represent—particularly interests with deep financial pockets,” he said. 

Wandling teaches State and Local Government, Government Budgeting and Politics and Subnational Government classes.

Eckert said he thinks the current government distrust stems from multiple things.

“The current situation is amplified by two wars that seemingly have gone on forever, high levels of unemployment, spiraling health care and educational costs, an energy market that is impossible to comprehend, and, again, the perceived failure of both political parties to have a civil discourse that actually addresses these issues in more than the most cursory manner,” Eckert said.

In regards to Illinois’ own past with corruption, Eckert said state residents should not have been surprised by the corruption that Blagojevich was involved in.

“Lots of the evidence in both trials showed a pattern of corruption and a wanton disregard—a contempt really—for Illinois citizens,” Eckert said.

Wandling said he is unsure of the amount of time Blagojevich will actually serve of his 14-year sentence.

“My understanding is that a couple years could be chopped off from his 14 year sentence, but of course this is going to depend on how our former governor comports himself in prison,” Wandling said.

Blagojevich was sentenced on Dec. 7, 2011.

When it comes to politicians regaining public trust, Eckert said it is a possibility that Illinois residents will be able to at least partially trust their elected officials though it might be difficult.

“Much of the corruption is embedded within the various layers of government (local, state, federal), so it’s not as simple as replacing a corrupt governor with one who is trustworthy and has integrity,” Eckert said.

Wangling agreed.

“When corruption develops, it involves the participation of many players,” Wandling said. “Illinois voters as a whole need to avoid falling into the mindset of focusing only on the most high profile positions, such as governor.”

But Wandling also said Illinois could put an end to its history of political corruption.

“There is some hope that this culture may change, as a result of public dissatisfaction or embarrassment over having such as a close association between the governor’s office and the prison cell,” Wandling said.

Wandling said Illinois voters should hold their officials accountable and accept nothing more than complete honesty.

“What the public really needs to do is demand transparency and openness, from budgetary decision-making on through information on campaign finance,” he said.

Eckert said the relationship between officials and their constituents is reflective on Americans as a society.

“It says much about who we are as a people and citizenry—one that is increasingly cynical, jaded and pessimistic about the extent to which our political system will be able to respond to the very many and significant challenges that we will face in the near- and long-term future,” Eckert said.

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].