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| BLAGOJEVICH: From back in better days |
Meaning
most people who have dreams of the Supreme Court ruling in their favor and
overturning some lower court’s “mistake” wind up disappointed.
COUNT
AMONG THE disappointed one federal corrections center inmate named Rod
Blagojevich – who currently is about four years into a 14-year prison sentence
for some of his actions committed while serving as Illinois governor.
The
high court reportedly gave the Blagojevich case a cursory review, decided there
were no great legal issues that needed to be resolved, and therefore no need
for the court to give it any public attention.
No
hearings. Definitely no ruling. The court let stand the ruling of the Court of
Appeals based in Chicago – which was the one that struck down five of
Blagojevich’s criminal convictions, but also implied that the remaining
convictions were severe enough that they could still warrant the lengthy prison
sentence he received.
There
are those who dream that Blagojevich’s prison sentence could be significantly
reduced to something like about four years – which, coincidentally, is the
amount of prison time already served.
THAT
WOULD BE the nightmare for many others – the idea of Blagojevich returning to
Chicago for a re-sentencing hearing and learning that his prison time is done!
Not
likely to happen. Because my prediction is that Blagojevich gets a year knocked
off the overall sentence. With early release for good behavior (which isn’t
much in the federal correctional system), he could be free by 2023.
Another
seven years without Milorod in our presence. Although I suspect the only person
who truly will miss him will be one-time Illinois first lady Patti Blagojevich.
Although
Judge James Zagel will make the final decision on Blagojevich’s fate when he
holds the re-sentencing hearing – which has yet to be scheduled. Something we
all get to look forward to.
I
DO HAVE to admit one potential disappointment in the Supreme Court’s refusal to
hear the Blagojevich case.
What
if the legal merits had caused a split in the high court that would have
resulted in a 4-4 decision? One in which the current vacancy caused by the
Senate’s refusal to consider President Barack Obama’s appointment of Merrick
Garland to the court became an issue.
Because
a 4-4 decision would mean a failure to get five justices – it would mean
upholding the Court of Appeals’ decision, and nothing would change.
Somehow
I suspect the now-greyed Blagojevich would get a kick out of the ability to
cause such chaos with his legal case. While the rest of us are on the verge of
forgetting that the man ever existed – we’ve moved on to new layers of
political people (Rauner or Madigan, depending on one’s partisan hang-ups) whom
we’d like to see incarcerated!
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