Blagojevich Wants Tapes Played in Court
Court Alerts
When his corruption trial begins in June, Rod R. Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, wants jurors to be allowed to hear all of the audio recordings — some 500 hours’ worth — that federal authorities secretly made of his telephone conversations.
In papers filed here on Wednesday, Mr. Blagojevich asked Judge James B. Zagel of Federal District Court to allow far more than just snippets of the calls, some of which have been made public.
“Play all the tapes,” Mr. Blagojevich told reporters after a hearing. He said that he planned to testify at his trial, and that all the tapes — not just parts — would provide the full picture and prove his innocence. “Play the truth, and play the whole truth,” he said.
A lawyer for Mr. Blagojevich, Sam Adam Jr., said jurors did not necessarily have to hear all of the tapes, which were made in Mr. Blagojevich’s home and campaign offices and on cellphones in the three months leading up his arrest in December 2008 on bribery, racketeering and a host of other charges.
But, Mr. Adam said, the defense team does want to play any parts that are related to the charges against Mr. Blagojevich or that give context to any of his statements on the tapes.
That prospect, political analysts here said, was likely to cause queasiness for Illinois politicians, some of whom are thought to be heard on those audio recordings and might have hoped their comments would never become public. In a year when the state is electing a new governor and a United States senator, such an open airing of hundreds of hours of tapes — even for those who did nothing criminal — might be especially awkward.
Related listings
-
Court halts rules on Edwards sex tape retrieval
Court Alerts 02/10/2010A North Carolina court has temporarily stopped the security rules that a judge issued for the retrieval of the John Edwards sex tape.The North Carolina Court of Appeals issued a stay on Tuesday without giving a reason. The court, however, did not hal...
-
San Diego teen curfew struck down by court
Court Alerts 02/09/2010A state appeals court has struck down a San Diego curfew law for teenagers, calling it unconstitutionally broad. The 4th District Court of Appeal ruled last week that the ordinance doesn't allow teens to travel to certain legal nighttime events, such...
-
Charges in Jackson’s death to be filed Monday
Court Alerts 02/08/2010Dr. Conrad Murray, personal physician to Michael Jackson, will surrender to authorities Monday afternoon, his attorneys said.Murray will turn himself in at a courthouse at 1:30 p.m., they said in a written statement.Los Angeles County prosecutors hav...
Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC
A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party
Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party
However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.