Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY’-uh-vich) wants a judge to nullify the only conviction the jury returned in his mostly deadlocked corruption trial.
CHICAGO (AP) — Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants a judge to nullify the only conviction the jury returned in his mostly deadlocked corruption trial. In a motion filed in federal court late Monday, defense lawyers called on the judge to override the jury’s decision and acquit Blagojevich of lying to the FBI. The attorneys say another option is for the judge to set the conviction aside and try Blagojevich again. At the end of a two-and-a-half month trial, jurors convicted the ex-governor on one of 24 counts. Prosecutors accuse Blagojevich of trying sell or trade President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat. They say they’ll retry Blagojevich on the 23 deadlocked charges. A retrial is expected to begin early next year. Blagojevich denies any wrongdoing. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)