After oral arguments today at the Supreme Court on behalf of Governor McDonnell’s appeal of his conviction several sources are reporting it appears the court will overturn his conviction. From the Wall Street Journal,
“We’re worried…because, like any other organization, the prosecutors, too, can be overly zealous,” Justice Stephen Breyer said at an oral argument in the case. He and other justices said they feared the government’s legal theory potentially could make a congressman a criminal if he accepted lunch from a constituent and then sent a letter on his behalf.
From the Washington Post,
Justices on both sides of the ideological divide expressed concern about federal corruption laws that could criminalize what they variously called “routine” or “everyday” actions that politicians perform for campaign contributors or supporters who have provided them with gifts.
“For better or for worse, it puts at risk behavior that is common,” said Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who along with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. suggested that the federal corruption laws are so vague that they might be unconstitutional.
Besides suggesting the law might be unconstitutional, the justices questioned whether instructions given to the jury that convicted the McDonnells were proper and whether there was sufficient evidence to warrant the convictions.The former Governor sat in the spectators section with his wife during the hour of oral arguments.
The former Governor and his wife Maureen observed the hour long oral arguments from the spectator’s section of the court.
The Supreme Court will announce their ruling on the case in June.
Much more on today’s court proceedings here, here, and here.
13 comments
I called this weeks ago. I said they will let him off other wise it will give cannon fodder to drop the hammer on #Hillary4Prison2016
You’ve nailed it.
He broke the rule – no Republican shall get away with what a democrat does all the time.
He MAY have broken Fed law but NOT Virginia laws…..
That gets said all the time, in a very generic way. I don’t buy it. Even leaving the illegal nondisclosure aside, seems a pretty clear violation of several parts of Va. Code 2.2-3103: http://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title2.2/chapter31/section2.2-3103/
nothing is more pernicious now than the power US attorneys have in this country. They can literally indict you for anything and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Congress really needs to step in and tighten up our criminal laws
So, congress needs to “step in” and pass laws that make elected officials Teflon? Make it so they can be even bigger crooks than they already are without fear of indictment?
You, ah, might want to think about that…….
In general, I agree with you, but it’s not just criminal law — Congress is unable or unwilling to govern in many other areas too.
McDonnell is innocent, innocent, innocent and it is so troubling that this has to go all the way to the Supreme Court for him to get justice. What we have seen is the power of the federal government used to debilitate an innocent man. Government at its worst.
That’s laughable. McDonnell was corrupt, corrupt, corrupt. It is troubling that the Supreme Court thinks the case of a man who milked his office for 6 figures of personal gain isn’t clear enough and leaves politicians everywhere in jeopardy. It’s troubling that the court has given up on the law as a weapon against corruption, and it’s troubling that the expected behavior of politicians is so corrupt.
Is this what you people want in government?
“Ginsburg told Francisco that under his reading of the law, a government official would be able to say, “You want a meeting, pay me a thousand dollars.”” (Or better yet, in Virginia, give me a Rolex)
Another president who I actually liked said “I am not crook” over 40 years ago, and that is exactly what he was. See link.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sh163n1lJ4M
You have to be one crooked, evil, ignorant, and out of touch individual to support the type of behavior in government such as was Bob McDonnell’s.
The system will work with SCOTUS. He is going to jail.
This whole tawdry affair has been a national disgrace. The Obama DoJ should be ashamed of themselves. This was a political witch hunt from start to finish.
Your first sentence is correct, but it’s Bob McDonnell who should be ashamed, not the career Virginia prosecutors who believed in the case and brought it successfully.