Government lawyer high court: Don't hear Blagojevich appeal
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CHICAGO (AP) - A top federal government lawyer is urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear disgraced ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's appeal.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that in a 34-page brief filed Friday, Solicitor General Noel John Francisco calls Blagojevich's appeal "unwarranted' and "without merit."
The brief comes after Blagojevich's asked the court last November to consider tossing his convictions on corruption charges. In the filing, Blagojevich's attorneys argue that by taking up the case, the court could settle lingering disagreements in lower courts over what constitutes illegal political fundraising.
Blagojevich was indicted in 2009 on federal corruption charges, including allegations that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat. He was later convicted and has served more than five years of a 14-year federal prison sentence.