CHICAGO — Prosecutors in Chicago say an effort by former governor Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers to delay his corruption trial is frivolous and should be dismissed.
Prosecutors asked a federal appeals court Friday and again yesterday to dismiss the ousted official’s request for a delay. Blagojevich’s attorneys contend that his trial should be put off until the US Supreme Court resolves a challenge to the so-called honest-services fraud law — the basis for some charges against the Democrat.
The high court is expected to rule on the issue by the end of June, but Judge James Zagel has refused to delay the trial set to get underway with jury selection June 3.
Blagojevich’s lawyers say they can’t put on an adequate defense at the trial until they get an answer from the high court.
Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to charges that accuse him of scheming to sell President Obama’s former Senate seat from Illinois and other offenses.
Ruling on a separate motion last week, Zagel ruled that Blagojevich’s attorneys cannot talk about the suicide of Blagojevich’s longtime fund-raiser, Christopher Kelly, during the corruption trial.
