James Zagel
Encyclopedia
James Block Zagel is a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
and a novelist.
, Poland who had immigrated to Chicago in 1915, and Ethel Samuels Zagel (1911–1986). Zagel earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago
in 1962 and a master's degree from the University of Chicago in the same year. He then earned a law degree from Harvard Law School
in 1965.
from 1965 until 1969. He then served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Illinois from 1969 until 1977. Concurrent to the job as assistant attorney general, Zagel ran the Criminal Justice Division in the attorney general's office from 1970 until 1977, and he also served as chief prosecuting attorney for the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board from 1973 until 1975.
In 1977, Zagel became executive director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission, a post he held until 1979. From 1979 until 1980, Zagel was the director of the Illinois Department of Revenue. From 1980 until joining the federal bench in 1987, Zagel was the director of the Illinois State Police
.
. The United States Senate
confirmed Zagel on April 21, 1987.
Zagel has presided over many high-profile trials, including the 2007-2009 Family Secrets trial, which resulted in the convictions of multiple members of the Chicago Outfit
, including of Joseph Lombardo
, James Marcello
and Frank Calabrese, Sr.
He also presided over a lawsuit by atheists against the community of Zion, Illinois
to get the town to remove all references to God from the town's official seal and is presiding over federal criminal charges against Illinois power broker William Cellini. Zagel also has been presiding over one of two criminal cases against Tony Rezko
.
In April 2009, it was announced that Zagel will preside over the upcoming federal corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
and his brother, Robert. The judge refused to let Blagojevich go to Costa Rica to participate in the show, I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, saying Blagojevich needed to prepare a good defense and focus on the reality of the current situation. His wife Patti went instead.
In August 2010, jury deliberations began in the Blagojevich trial. However, eleven days after deliberations began and after sending Judge Zagel two previous notes, the jury sent the judge a third (but rather cryptic and vague) note- which Rod Blagojevich was present in court to hear- stating that the jurors may be deadlocked (a hung jury) on at least some of the charges. Judge Zagel set a hearing in order for him and for both sides to receive further clarification. Rod Blagojevich was convicted on one charge, lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the jury was hung on 22 others. He was retried in June 2011 with fewer attorneys and the charges and the prosecution's remarks and the complexity of the evidence put forth were streamlined and shortened where possible so the jury could better understand, although the jury asked for clarification on a charge when it began deliberating. A guilty verdict on 17 of the 20 remaining counts that he was tried on in the retrial, including the most notorious charges having to do with the Obama Senate seat, was issued in late June 2011. Governor Blagojevich, because of his prior government service and typical sentencing formulations, will likely receive substantially less than the roughly 300 years that literally giving him the full span of years- the maximum possible sentence- that each and every conviction would fully amount to. He will likely receive from 10 to 15 years in total when he is formally sentenced, barring any alterations upon the appeals process, based upon multiple news agency reports of commentaries from Chicago-area law school professors who made themselves available and are known to have knowledge in that subject area. His brother Robert was not retried and the four charges against him were dropped. This has likely been Judge Zagel's most high-profile criminal case.
Zagel played a judge in the 1989 movie Music Box
under the stage name J.S. Block.
, divorced in 1975.
Zagel and his current wife, Margaret Maxwell "Peggy" Zagel, live in the Streeterville
neighborhood in downtown Chicago.
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....
and a novelist.
Early life and education
Born in Chicago, Zagel is the son of Samuel S. Zagel (1905–1999), a native of WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland who had immigrated to Chicago in 1915, and Ethel Samuels Zagel (1911–1986). Zagel earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1962 and a master's degree from the University of Chicago in the same year. He then earned a law degree from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1965.
Professional career
Zagel began his career as an assistant state's attorney in Cook County, IllinoisCook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
from 1965 until 1969. He then served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Illinois from 1969 until 1977. Concurrent to the job as assistant attorney general, Zagel ran the Criminal Justice Division in the attorney general's office from 1970 until 1977, and he also served as chief prosecuting attorney for the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board from 1973 until 1975.
In 1977, Zagel became executive director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission, a post he held until 1979. From 1979 until 1980, Zagel was the director of the Illinois Department of Revenue. From 1980 until joining the federal bench in 1987, Zagel was the director of the Illinois State Police
Illinois State Police
The Illinois State Police is the state police force of Illinois. Officially established in 1922, the Illinois State Police have over 3,000 personnel and 21 districts. The main facilities of the Illinois State Police Academy, which were constructed in 1968, are located in Springfield. Prior to...
.
Federal judicial service
Zagel initially had been a finalist for a federal judgeship in 1985, but was not chosen. On February 2, 1987, President Reagan nominated Zagel to be a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of IllinoisUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....
. The United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
confirmed Zagel on April 21, 1987.
Zagel has presided over many high-profile trials, including the 2007-2009 Family Secrets trial, which resulted in the convictions of multiple members of the Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
, including of Joseph Lombardo
Joseph Lombardo
Joseph Patrick “Joey the Clown” Lombardo Sr. , also known as "Joe Padula," "Lumbo," and "Lumpy", is an imprisoned American mafioso and a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization...
, James Marcello
James Marcello
James J. “Little Jimmy, Jimmy Light” Marcello , also known as Jimmy "the Man" Marcello, is an imprisoned crime boss who was a front boss for the Chicago Outfit criminal organization in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s...
and Frank Calabrese, Sr.
Frank Calabrese, Sr.
Frank Calabrese, Sr. , also known as "Frankie Breeze," is a made man and a caporegime who ran major loansharking and illegal gambling operations for the Chicago Outfit. He is best known as a central figure in Operation Family Secrets and the subsequent Federal trial.-Early life:Frank Calabrese, Sr...
He also presided over a lawsuit by atheists against the community of Zion, Illinois
Zion, Illinois
Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,866 at the 2000 census, and estimated at 24,303 as of 2005. The city was founded in July 1901 by John Alexander Dowie. He also started the Zion Tabernacle of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, which was the only...
to get the town to remove all references to God from the town's official seal and is presiding over federal criminal charges against Illinois power broker William Cellini. Zagel also has been presiding over one of two criminal cases against Tony Rezko
Tony Rezko
Antoin "Tony" Rezko is a Assyrian -American businessman, political fundraiser, restaurateur, and real estate developer in Chicago, Illinois, convicted on several counts of fraud and bribery in 2008. Rezko has been involved in fundraising for local Illinois Democratic and Republican politicians...
.
In April 2009, it was announced that Zagel will preside over the upcoming federal corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
and his brother, Robert. The judge refused to let Blagojevich go to Costa Rica to participate in the show, I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, saying Blagojevich needed to prepare a good defense and focus on the reality of the current situation. His wife Patti went instead.
In August 2010, jury deliberations began in the Blagojevich trial. However, eleven days after deliberations began and after sending Judge Zagel two previous notes, the jury sent the judge a third (but rather cryptic and vague) note- which Rod Blagojevich was present in court to hear- stating that the jurors may be deadlocked (a hung jury) on at least some of the charges. Judge Zagel set a hearing in order for him and for both sides to receive further clarification. Rod Blagojevich was convicted on one charge, lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the jury was hung on 22 others. He was retried in June 2011 with fewer attorneys and the charges and the prosecution's remarks and the complexity of the evidence put forth were streamlined and shortened where possible so the jury could better understand, although the jury asked for clarification on a charge when it began deliberating. A guilty verdict on 17 of the 20 remaining counts that he was tried on in the retrial, including the most notorious charges having to do with the Obama Senate seat, was issued in late June 2011. Governor Blagojevich, because of his prior government service and typical sentencing formulations, will likely receive substantially less than the roughly 300 years that literally giving him the full span of years- the maximum possible sentence- that each and every conviction would fully amount to. He will likely receive from 10 to 15 years in total when he is formally sentenced, barring any alterations upon the appeals process, based upon multiple news agency reports of commentaries from Chicago-area law school professors who made themselves available and are known to have knowledge in that subject area. His brother Robert was not retried and the four charges against him were dropped. This has likely been Judge Zagel's most high-profile criminal case.
Zagel played a judge in the 1989 movie Music Box
Music Box (film)
Music Box is a 1989 film that tells the story of a Hungarian-American immigrant who is accused of having been a war criminal. The plot revolves around his daughter, an attorney, who defends him, and her struggle to uncover the truth....
under the stage name J.S. Block.
Career as a novelist
In 2002, Zagel published a novel titled Money to Burn, a fictional thriller about a plot to rob the Federal Reserve Bank.Personal life
Zagel and his first wife, Chicago TV reporter Pam ZekmanPam Zekman
Pam Zekman has been an investigative reporter at WBBM-TV in Chicago since 1981. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Zekman spent over a decade as a newspaper reporter before working in television. Zekman is known for her aggressive investigative work, including the purchase of...
, divorced in 1975.
Zagel and his current wife, Margaret Maxwell "Peggy" Zagel, live in the Streeterville
Streeterville
Streeterville is a neighborhood in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, north of the Chicago River in Cook County...
neighborhood in downtown Chicago.