From the Chicago Tribune: 
 
Ryan's lawyers contest evidence 
With trial in 2 weeks, defense team files flurry of motions 
 
By Matt O'Connor 
Tribune staff reporter 
Published September 8, 2005 
 
 With jury selection scheduled to begin in less than two weeks, lawyers for former Gov. George Ryan filed nearly a dozen motions seeking to block the government from presenting evidence critical to its case at the trial. 
 
 Among the requests made public Wednesday was one seeking to bar prosecutors from making any reference to the fatal crash of six children that sparked the criminal investigation that led years later to Ryan's indictment. 
 
 The defense is also seeking to block key government witnesses from offering what it called "speculation and opinion," which if successful could keep out damaging testimony that Ryan allegedly shared in lucrative kickbacks from vendors while he was Illinois secretary of state. 
 
 Ryan's legal team, led by Dan K. Webb, sought to block testimony about the awarding of low-digit license plates to Ryan campaign contributors without evidence that the former governor had made an explicit promise to do so in return for the contributions. 
 
 Webb and co-counsel Bradley Lerman and Timothy Rooney also asked to bar prosecutors from commenting on the frequency or size of Ryan's cash withdrawals. 
 
 Noting that prosecutors have alleged that Ryan sold his office for cash, the defense said, "The government does not have a single witness who will testify that George Ryan ever received a corrupt dollar--not one." 
 
 Ryan's lawyers even asked that the entire indictment be thrown out on grounds that the grand jury testimony of the secretary of state's former chief lawyer violated Ryan's attorney-client privilege. 
 
 The testimony of Roger Bickel, the office's former general counsel, "covered a broad range of topics and went to critical points underpinning the entire indictment, and as such, this entire prosecution is now tainted," the motion said. 
 
 "We're going to respond in court" to the defense motions, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Patrick Collins, who is heading up the Ryan prosecution. "We intend to prove up what's in our indictment." 
 
 Jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 19 as Ryan and Lawrence Warner go to trial on charges the former governor took cash, gifts and vacations for himself and relatives in return for steering contracts and leases to Warner and others. 
 
 The trial could last as long as four months. 
 
 Ryan's lawyers sought to preclude the government from bringing up at trial the fatal crash that killed six children of Duane and Janet Willis, saying Ryan had no connection to the accident. 
 
 The Willises' van erupted in flames in 1994 when a large part fell off a truck driven by a man who was later convicted in the Operation Safe Road federal probe of paying a bribe to obtain his license. 
 
 The indictment briefly refers to the crash in a section charging Ryan with gutting the corruption-fighting arm of the secretary of state's office to prevent its investigators from uncovering improper political fundraising activities. 
 
 The defense raised concerns that mentioning the horrific crash at trial would "inflame the passions of the jury" and "destroy any chance" of Ryan's receiving a fair trial. 
 
 By seeking to block what it called speculative testimony, the defense hopes to keep out a key accusation that Ryan split kickbacks from contractors while secretary of state as well as other allegations from Scott Fawell, Ryan's former right-hand man who is expected to be the government's star witness. 
 
 Ryan's lawyers termed as "plainly inadmissible" the claim by Donald Udstuen, another government witness, that Warner told him he would share the kickbacks with Ryan. 
 
 "Udstuen himself never paid Ryan money; Udstuen never saw anyone pay Ryan; Udstuen never discussed the topic with Ryan, and therefore Udstuen has no personal knowledge--none--of Ryan ever receiving money," the defense motion said. 
 
 The defense also asked that the jury not be told of the 2003 conviction of Ryan's campaign committee on similar charges, saying it could result in Ryan's being found "guilty by association." 
 
 On a more personal level, the defense made a plea for Ryan's wife, Lura Lynn, and his children to be allowed to attend the trial even though they could be called as witnesses. 
 
 "It would be an undue hardship for Ryan to be separated from his wife of 49 years and from his immediate family day-in and day-out during a trial expected to last at least four months," the lawyers wrote.