By Steve Rhodes
“Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich will seek justice from the U.S. Supreme Court after losing his bid Wednesday for the full 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago to reconsider its refusal to overturn his conviction and 14-year prison sentence,” the Tribune reports.
Why not just say he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court? The way it’s written now presumes he didn’t get justice at the appellate level, when indeed justice appears to have been done.
Anyway . . .
“What’s clear is that in order for us to see justice, the appeal needs to be taken out of Illinois and be in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court where we can find fairness and impartial justices,” Patti Blagojevich “said” in a statement.
That’s a clever PR line, but the 7th circuit is a federal court covering seven districts in three states.
“In announcing its decision, the 7th Circuit said that each of the three judges on the original panel voted to deny the rehearing and that none of its other active judges requested a vote.”
So Blago was totally shut out.
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“No politician could avoid federal prison if held to the same standard as Rod Blagojevich, the imprisoned ex-governor’s lawyer said,” the Sun-Times reports.
What an odd angle to choose for a lead. The dude was shut out by the appellate court. Not a single circuit court judge sided with him. That’s the story.
“That’s the pitch his legal team could soon make to the U.S. Supreme Court after a long-shot bid in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals fell flat Wednesday. It left Blagojevich’s prospects looking dimmer than ever, more than three years after he began serving a 14-year prison sentence in Colorado.
“He’s a person of great faith,” Leonard Goodman, Blagojevich’s appellate attorney, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “And he believes in the legal system, and he believes that we’re right, and I tend to agree with him.”
Okay, that’s not even quoteworthy. What is the argument, Leonard? Why did you fail to persuade a single appellate court judge to see your side? And how much are you getting paid to string this along?
“It took 15 days for the appeals court to shoot [Blagojevich] down in a three-sentence order. It said, ‘no judge in regular active service has requested a vote’ on Blagojevich’s request, and ‘all of the judges on the panel have voted to deny rehearing. The petition for rehearing is therefore DENIED.'”
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“‘Few politicians, who must raise campaign funds as part of their job, could survive the legal requirements imposed on Blagojevich,’ Goodman said in his pitch to the full appeals court.”
And yet, almost all of them have.
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See also: Blago Ruling Indicts Media.
Red Light Running
“The former CEO of Chicago’s fired red light camera vendor pleaded guilty Thursday to helping orchestrate a decadelong $2 million bribery scheme – first disclosed by the Tribune – to win tens of millions of dollars in city business,” the paper reports.
“[Karen] Finley admitted conspiring to funnel cash, lavish vacation trips and an Arizona condominium to co-defendant John Bills in return for the now-retired city transportation manager’s influence in championing Redflex Traffic Systems Inc.”
Unlike Rod Blagojevich – and a certain sector of the political punditry – she didn’t argue that her actions were “just politics” and vow to take her case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Stemming STEM
Rahm – and the media – keep purveying a myth.
EFF Sues DOJ Over DNA
FBI refuses to turn over records.
The Final Trews: Scripted Journalism
The cyclical shape of the “news.”
Why It’s So Hard To Catch Dopers
Testing not as good as you may think.
Camp Bullfrog Lake!
Reservations now available.
BeachBook
* Chicago Rappers: Lucki Eck$.
* Police Accountability Release Party.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Talk to the hand.
Posted on August 20, 2015