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* 54 percent favoring and 37 percent opposed is not a “slim” majority, but here’s the Tribune’s new poll on whether Rod Blagojevich should be retried…
A slim majority statewide, 54 percent, agreed with Fitzgerald’s decision [to retry Blagojevich], while 37 percent disagreed. Another 10 percent had no opinion in the survey of 600 registered Illinois voters conducted Aug. 28-Sept. 1. The error margin was 4 percentage points.
More interesting numbers…
In Chicago, 35 percent of voters favored retrial and 51 percent opposed it. But 54 percent of those in the Cook County suburbs and 57 percent of those in the collar counties agreed with the notion that Blagojevich should be retried, the survey found. […]
By a slight margin, voters who identified themselves as Democrats were more inclined to disagree with the decision to retry Blagojevich, the survey found. On the other hand, more than 7 out of 10 Republican voters surveyed said they backed a retrial.
There was also a stark difference between white and black voters on the issue. White voters were for a retrial by a wide margin: 60 percent to 31 percent. The position of black voters was almost the reverse: 63 percent against a retrial and 25 percent in favor.
The takeaway: US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is gonna have to present a far better case next time if he wants to convict this clown with that jury pool.
* Meanwhile, Judge Zagel overreacts…
The federal judge handling Rod Blagojevich’s case said [yesterday] afternoon that after the former governor’s retrial, he will not release jurors’ names immediately after the verdict.
Instead, he plans to wait 24 hours after a verdict is in to make the names public, he said.
“That’s based on the experience some jurors had with the prompt release,” U.S. District Judge James Zagel said.
He gave the media until Nov. 1 to file any objections (as they did the last time around) disputing his closure of the names. The new trial is expected to begin early next year.
This is the same judge that advised jurors to call 911 if they didn’t like reporters’ questions.
* More case business…
Also at Wednesday’s hearing, Zagel set several deadlines for attorneys. Prosecutors will have to notify him by Nov. 15 about any major expansion of the case - though the judge said that wouldn’t include notice about new witnesses the government many want to call.
Zagel also said he expected the retrial to take no longer than 2 1 / 2 months. The first trial initially was expected to last more than four months, but ended up running about 2 1 / 2 .
One reason a second trial could be expected to take less time is that Blagojevich now is the lone defendant. Last month, prosecutors dropped a bombshell by dismissing all charges against the ex-governor’s co-defendant, his brother Robert Blagojevich.
Zagel set the next status hearing for Oct. 1.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 10:32 am
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Who cares what the public thinks? The first jury was 11-1 to convict on the major charges. DOJ has an absolute duty to retry this case.
Comment by Xgman Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 10:36 am
–This is the same judge that advised jurors to call 911 if they didn’t like reporters’ questions.–
Was that Zagel or the U.S. Marshal’s office?
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 10:55 am
I think wordslinger is right. But Zagels clerk was the one who passed it on to the jurors so its pretty much also coming from him.
Comment by Been There Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 10:56 am
What is the jury pool for this case? Chicago? If so I would worry. Since it is a federal case, can they bring in folk from all over the district withini which the court acts? I see the suburban pool is not as sympathetic towards the fool. Especially the republicans. Let’s get this thing going before everyone just says, “oh, forget it”.
Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 11:07 am
It would be interesting to see this poll with the questions on support for Daley. It looks like Blago may be more favored in cook county right now then even Daley!
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 11:20 am
The release of jurors names in the George Ryan trial resulted in finding a juror lied about not having a conviction on her record. An obvious biased juror who would have been removed from the juror pool before trial. Her last minute removal after the press investigated preserved the integrity of the vedict.
Judge Zagel should retink his position and allow verification of the jurors questionaires. If that is a problem for jurors they could be sequestered during deliberations, and their names released then.
Comment by Tom Joad Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 11:53 am
If Blago’s first trial hadn’t been in Chicago, I’m pretty sure there would be little or no need for a second trial, and if there were it would certainly be on fewer charges. Living in Springfield, I still can’t get my arms around the idea that the holdout juror was telling people in JULY that she couldn’t vote to convict Rod, and that didn’t manage to come out on her questionnaire or during examination, and escaped Judge Zagel’s notice.
Comment by Behind The Scenes Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 12:30 pm
Much of the public also believes, wrongly, that a retrial will be at the expense of the State, as witnessed in many “on the street” interviews after the verdict.
Comment by Anon Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 12:52 pm
Query–If Blago is only allowed two attorneys for his defense then will prosecution only be allowed two attorneys? Fair is fair. Or, is the only way the gov’t can win by handicapping the defense? They already have all the assets of the Federal government at their disposal. Stuff like this feeds the guilty as hell Blago pity party.
Comment by D.P. Gumby Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 1:01 pm
more evidence of why there were so few jurors from Chicago
on Jury 1. the G knows that Chicago does not find the
swearing and pondering as schocking as the suburbs.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 1:54 pm
The jury pool should draw from the entire federal Northern District of Illinois which starts somewhere north of Peoria (still in the Central District) So it would include all the collar counties and then some.
Comment by girllawyer Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 3:00 pm
To DP Gumby: the Federal prosecuting attorneys are already earning a salary regardless of what work they are doing. Seems fair enough to me.
Comment by Macoupin Observer Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 7:24 pm
Thankfully, the justice system is not based on opinion polls. The system contemplates hung juries and mistrials - retrials being the remedy. It’s no wonder Chicago is rife with corruption if the public figures the US Attorney should walk away from corruption. Future politicians contemplating corruption are the only ones who benefit from that. The former governor was not found not guilty, there was no decision. Justice demands a decision; whatever that decision is.
Comment by FormerChicagoResident Thursday, Sep 9, 10 @ 8:20 pm