DEALING WITH IT
The Jackson divorce . . .
It’s all but over in Chicago. And it could be over soon. Sneed hears the contentious divorce case involving former U. S. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, may be this/ close to resolution.
Translation: All the sexual allegations and information requested by both parties might no longer be relevant if mediation is successful.
Backshot: Jackson Jr. not only filed court papers Wednesday saying he’s agreed to allow the case to continue solely in the nation’s capital — rather than his earlier request for it to be heard in Chicago — but a consent order on court jurisdiction is expected to be granted at a hearing in Washington, D. C., Friday.
“The correct legal result has been achieved. The case will be heard in D. C. That’s what’s in the best interest of the children and the family,” said Jessica Interlandi, Sandi’s attorney in Chicago.
Sneed is told Jackson Jr. has agreed to pay $ 1,200 per month in temporary alimony, beginning in June. The arrangement won’t take effect until it’s approved by a judge.
Sneed also hears that Jackson Jr. is not expected to attend the hearing Friday, “but will be available by phone,” said his attorney Brendan Hammer, who also will not be there.
“The case is simply transitioning from Chicago to Washington, D. C. All the concerns and issues that existed here continue to exist until they are resolved in the Washington litigation,” Hammer said.
“There is no daylight between the movement of this case from Chicago to Washington, and none should be inferred.”
Although Sandi is expected to attend the hearing Friday, it is anticipated to be a short one. Sneed is told a request will be made by Sandi’s Washington attorney, Chandra Walker Holloway, to give the couple a few months to “collaborate and settle” because the issue of temporary alimony and child support have been privately resolved.
“Where it goes after tomorrow remains to be seen,” Hammer said. “It’s a wait- and- see period. Let’s take the next days as they come to see what develops in the case.
“It’s expected that tomorrow the Cook County case will be dismissed voluntarily, and our further expectation is that no hearing on contested issues will occur in Washington, D. C.”
If Jackson does attend Friday’s hearing, though, Sneed hears he will be sporting a new haircut.
Not so Foxxy . . .
So far, no good. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s wish list to fight crime in Chicago, which she dispatched via the mail to U. S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently, seems to be going nowhere.
No meeting. No response. No nothing.
Thus far, Foxx’s request to snag Trump regime resources to combat the violence crippling the Chicago region is a no- go.
Fencing for fun . . .
Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, is rumored to be moving into a lavish $ 8 million mansion in Washington, D. C., according to a report in the Washingtonian magazine, a monthly mag distributed in the D. C. area.
If true, Conway, a mother of four, will live half a mile from Hillary Clinton, a woman who would not be expected to chat with Conway over any fence.
Phil’s pill . . .
Swallow this: Restaurateur Phil Stefani is still shaking his head over the comical confrontation he had with passport control when entering Rome recently: “The guy shook his head while looking at my passport and said, ‘ Where did you find this guy?’ ” “I said, ‘ What guy?’ ” “He said: ‘ Your president! Of all the people you have in the United States, you choose that candidate? He doesn’t like Europeans! He doesn’t shake hands with the German Prime Minister Angela Merkel!’ ”
“I said: ‘ Give me my passport!’ ”
Book notes . . .
Sneed is told the family of the late U. S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was replaced by President Trump’s conservative choice Neil Gorsuch, is compiling Scalia’s best speeches for publication.
“I knew that Justice Scalia had delivered brilliant speeches on various aspects of the law and the judicial role, and I was also familiar with two of his outstanding speeches on faith and religion,” said Ed Whelan, who is helping to edit the speeches. “But I have been dazzled to discover the broad range of topics — including even hunting, sports and opera.”
Legendary attorney Bob Barnett, who hails from Waukegan, is now in the process of talking with publishers.
Sneedlings . . .
I spy: Cardinal Blase J. Cupich dining at his buddy Phil Stefani’s eatery Tuscany before heading to The Vatican. ... Academy Award winner director Steve McQueen spotted having lunch with his crew at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse in River North on Thursday. ... Same for Chicago Blackhawks national anthem singer Jim Cornelison. ... Boston Celtics player Gerald Green spotted dining at Gibsons on Rush recently. ... Actor Greg Kinnear at Luxbar last Saturday. ... Ditto for Chicago Fire’s Bastian Schweinsteiger and race car driver Marco Andretti. ... Today’s birthdays: Jessica Alba, 36; Jay Leno, 67; and Penelope Cruz, 43.