Blagojevich Asks Judge to Cancel Retrial
Legal News Feed
The impeached former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, asked a judge on Wednesday to cancel his retrial and promptly sentence him on the sole conviction from his first trial, arguing that money woes prevent him from mounting an ample defense.
A five-page motion filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago says Mr. Blagojevich isn't conceding guilt, including on the conviction of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. That is the lone count jurors agreed on at his otherwise deadlocked trial last year.
The motion says the former governor, whose legal bills are supposed to be paid by the government, wants to forgo a retrial on grounds that none of his lawyers have been paid for months of pretrial preparations.
"Should this motion be granted...funds for the second trial would no longer be necessary," the motion says. An added bonus, it continues, would be "no further cost to taxpayers."
Mr. Blagojevich, 54, faces a maximum five-year prison term for the lying count. It was widely expected that a sentencing date for that conviction would only be set after the retrial was over.
At that trial do-over, currently scheduled to start on April 20, Mr. Blagojevich faces 20 charges, including that he sought to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat in exchange for a top job or campaign cash.
Related listings
-
Memories of 1995 haunt GOP as shutdown talk grows
Legal News Feed 02/21/2011Few memories haunt Republicans more deeply than the 1995-96 partial shutdown of the federal government, which helped President Bill Clinton reverse his falling fortunes and recast House Republicans as stubborn partisans, not savvy insurgents.Now, as ...
-
La. state senator to face ethics charges
Legal News Feed 02/04/2011State Sen. Rob Marionneaux is facing ethics charges related to his law firm's involvement in litigation against the state Department of Transportation and Development.It marks the second charge filed against Marionneaux by the Louisiana Board of Ethi...
-
Obama: Lower corporate tax rates, close loopholes
Legal News Feed 01/26/2011President Barack Obama's call to lower corporate tax rates is popular among business leaders and lawmakers from both parties. That support, however, won't be easy to maintain if the president ever gets specific about how to pay for the lower taxes.Ob...
New Rochelle, New York Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP, in New Rochelle, New York, immediately. We can answer all your questions and work with you to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at our firm are determined to resolve even the most difficult of cases. We will work closely with you to determine the best course of action to get your claim or case resolved in the most efficient way possible. We will fight for your right to compensation! No one should have to suffer a financial burden from the result of another person’s carelessness. The attorneys at Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP will aggressively fight to ensure that justice is served on your behalf.