Judge who donated to Hastert to stay on case

Prosecutors and lawyers for Hastert filed paperwork Thursday saying they're willing to have U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin remain on the case.

“We are willing to proceed with Judge Durkin presiding,” wrote defense attorneys Thomas Green and John Gallo in a letter to Thomas G. Bruton, clerk of the Northern Illinois U.S. District Court. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Block and Carrie Hamilton expressed similar sentiments in their letter to the clerk.

Durkin, who donated $500 in 2002 and $1,000 in 2004 to Hastert's campaign, said to the best of his knowledge, he and Hastert have never met.

“I have no doubt I can be impartial in this matter,” Durkin said during Tuesday's hearing.

Durkin said he sent an email to a Hastert staffer in the mid-1990s expressing interest in a seat on the federal bench but that he didn't hear back. He was recommended for his judgeship through a process set up by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, and was elevated to the federal bench in December 2012.

Durkin is the brother of Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs.

Before becoming a judge Thomas Durkin worked with attorneys from both sides during his tenure as an assistant U.S. attorney. He also disclosed he worked with Hastert's son, Ethan Hastert, at the Mayer Brown law firm, where Durkin was a partner. He described their relationship as “friendly business colleagues.”

Hastert, 73, is accused of agreeing to pay $3.5 million to keep past misconduct secret. The former high school teacher and wrestling coach pleaded not guilty to charges of violating banking laws and lying to the FBI. A person familiar with the allegations told The Associated Press that the payments were intended to conceal claims of sexual misconduct from decades ago.

A status hearing is set for June 18.

• Daily Herald staff writer Barbara Vitello contributed to this report