In the News

Pioneer Press, January 13, 2009

As the Illinois Senate faces the impeachment trial of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 26, State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-29th, of Lake Forest discussed what she expected.

"All the senators, all 59 of us, will be acting as jurors," said Garrett of the first-ever trial of a sitting governor in the state. "We can bring in new evidence, but the basis of the case will be what has already taken place in the House."

Even looking at what some other states have dealt with in the past, "there's nothing really quite like what we're going to be going through," she said.

The week they are starting was not a week the state senators were scheduled to be in Springfield, so this was added to the schedule, Garrett said.

The trial is expected to take up to nine days. If 40 or more senators vote against Blagojevich, he will be removed from office.