By Nick Gale, WLS-AM 890 News
(CHICAGO) — A federal appeals court has turned down a request from imprisoned ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich to rehear his argument that his sentence is too lengthy.
That means Blagojevich’s legal team will likely make a final pitch to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the High Court turns down the request, Blagojevich’s final out would be the pending commutation petition that is before President Donald Trump.
This spring the three-judge panel from the Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the former governor’s 14-year sentence. After that, Blagojevich’s attorneys sought to argue before all active 7th Circuit judges, known as “en-banc,” but were denied Monday.
Two years ago, the same three-judge panel from the 7th Circuit overturned five of Blagojevich’s original 18 criminal convictions. That triggered a resentencing hearing where Judge James Zagel handed down the same sentence as the original 2011 sentence.
Blagojevich has already tried to take his case to the Supreme Court but justices refused to hear from him early last year.
Copyright 2017 WLS-AM 890 News
