I always wanted to write something like that, even if we're only 6 years into the 21st century. Of course the trial has seemingly lasted for a century--it has however, been going on since September.
Soon, but not very soon, the fate of the former Governor of Illinois will be in the hands of a very worn-out jury. Not before, however, the defense, led by former U.S Attorney Dan Webb, was able to fall back on the cheesy show-biz side of the legal world.
From AP:
George Ryan's defense lawyers rested their case Thursday, but not before federal prosecutors ripped into them, saying they had staged an overnight media campaign in which the former governor's wife went on Chicago television stations in a "desperate, orchestrated effort to influence this jury."
"This, judge, is an affront to the court," lead prosecutor Patrick M. Collins told U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, who is presiding over Ryan's racketeering and fraud trial.
Collins said television reporters were brought to the powerful Loop law firm of Winston & Strawn, which is representing Ryan, and granted one-on-one interviews in which Lura Lynn Ryan said her husband had been indicted only because he is an opponent of the death penalty.
"This is fundamentally untrue," Collins said. He said that the parade of reporters to the firm "went on all night last night -- there were people tramping in and out of Winston & Strawn."
Technorati tags: George Ryan Death Penalty corruption Politics law
No comments:
Post a Comment