Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Ex-Gov. Ryan looking for new trial

Former Gov. George H. Ryan (R-Ill), is hoping to get a new trial. The man best known for emptying out Illinois' death row, was convicted on various corruption charges last year. He's out on bail as the appeal process drags on.

Today a hearing took place at the US Seventh District Court of Appeals in Chicago that gives the Kankakee Republican some hope, maybe a lot, that his conviction will be overturned.

From AP:

There is no way to know when the appeals court will render its decision, and attorneys warned against trying to read too much into what the appeals judges said at the hearing.

(Judge) Kanne repeatedly asked questions about the behavior of jurors, who took breaks from deliberations and ran up and down the courthouse stairways as a form of exercise. He seemed to take a dim view of that.

He also said asked whether there had been talk of sequestering the jury. Collins said there had, but it was regarded as "too great an imposition" on the jurors.

"In hindsight, that doesn't look correct, does it?" Kanne said.

Jurors had been deliberating for about a week when two members of the panel were suddendly discharged from lying about their criminal records when they filled out their juror questionnaires.

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