The US Supreme court will soon render its decision whether to hear Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's appeal which centers on his conviction on the charges of corruption.
The high court had already thrown out five of the eighteen convictions that were passed down to the former Democrat who is now asking the court to dismissed the remaining cases against him. The former governor is serving 14-years in prison.
The federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals have tackled the issue of corruption during the conviction of Blagojevich last July. Three of the judges determined that he crossed the line when he asked for money for naming someone in the Senate seat right after Obama vacated his seat when he became president. Blagojevich, however, didn't ask a position in the cabinet for himself as per the USA Today.
In his appeal, Blagojevich argued that the line between legal trading of political favors and bribery have been crossed. He added that this will expose other politicians to criminal charges in the future.
As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the governor's lawyers contended that there is a confusion in the lower court when it comes to the issue of public corruption prosecutions and solicitation for campaign contributions. His lawyers urged the Supreme Court to intervene, adding that the case can be a good example to others.
According to the Chicago Tribune, attorney Joel Bertocchi who is a former federal prosecutor and an expert in appellate law said the chances for an appeal are not good. He added that the court will not take the case just to help Blagojevich. He said that most cases that have a good chance of appeal can have a deep conflict across the circuit.
In over 10,000 cases, the Supreme Court only hears 80 cases of appeals per year. The cases that it hears are mostly those that have raised significant legal issues. A new schedule for sentencing Blagojevich has also been ordered, though a specific date has not been set.
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