Rod Blagojevich Gets A Shot At Appealing Corruption Conviction

Rod Blagojevich has been granted his day in court. Another one, that is. The former Illinois governor’s attorneys filed a lengthy appeal request which prosecutors recommended earlier this week be denied, as previously reported on The Inquisitr. Despite this, a federal appeals court says it will listen to Blagojevich’s request to have his 2011 conviction thrown out.

The decision was announced on Friday by the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals, reports Huffington Post. Both sides will be allowed to present a 30-minute argument before a panel of three judges on December 13. Despite running 169 pages, the prosecution’s recommendation to reject Rod Blagojevich’s appeal request was not followed.

In 2011 a jury convicted the ex-Illinois governor on 18 counts concerning acts of corruption. One particularly incriminating piece of evidence shown during Rod Blagojevich’s trial included a telephone call. Talking about his unique power to appoint a US Senate replacement in 2008 for the newly elected President Obama, Blagojevich said the seat was “a f***ing valuable thing. You don’t just give it away for nothing.”

Eventually, Blagojevich would appoint Roland Burris to the empty seat. While Burris was allowed to serve for the remaining two years, the Illinois governor was impeached and found guilty of corruption. Neither President Obama nor any of his staff have been accused of being involved in Blagojevich’s actions. The ex-governor is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a federal prison in Colorado, reports NBC News.

Many grievances are listed by Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers in their 100-page appeal request. They argue that their client was treated unfairly by the court. One example of this, they say, is that a biased juror was allowed to take part in the trial.

The appeal request also argues that the former governor’s actions were not at all criminal. They claim that their defendant’s actions were part of a common act of political bartering. They also point out that ex-governor Rod Blagojevich has not profited from his eventual appointee choice.

[Foreground image via Wikimedia Commons / US Marshals; Background via ShutterStock]