Constitutional Law
Illinois Gov’s Lawyers Quit in Protest of Impeachment Trial
Posted Jan 16, 2009, 03:46 pm CST
By Martha Neil
Private lawyers representing embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich are reportedly protesting the unfairness of his upcoming impeachment trial in the state senate by refusing to defend him there. However, they still plan to defend him at trial in a federal corruption case.
"Blagojevich's lawyers believe the process has become 'fundamentally unfair' because they have had too little time to prepare for the senate trial and have been denied subpoena power to call their own witnesses," reports the Chicago Tribune in a breaking news story.
The impeachment trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 26, and the governor's lawyers have been asked to file appearances by Monday.
Attorney Ed Genson tells the newspaper that he will not file an appearance, and the Tribune implies, but does not expressly state, that Sam Adam Jr. and his father Sam Adam Sr., who are also on the Blagojevich legal team, don't intend to do so either.
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