* The Supreme Court today struck down a state law that banned secret compartments in cars…
A unanimous court has decreed the 1999 law violated due process rights. A ruling released Thursday says it’s unreasonable to expect a motorist driving a car with a secret compartment is doing something illegal. […]
The law was adopted to help police fight gangs who authorities said stashed guns and drugs in the hidden spaces.
Read the decision by clicking here.
Discuss.
* Meanwhile, in other judicial news…
Two former aides to Mayor Richard Daley—Robert Sorich and Patrick Slattery—must report to prison Monday unless an appellate court intervenes, a federal judge ruled Thursday morning.
* And…
Witness Chuck Hannon testifies that Tony Rezko told him he periodically hired professionals to check if his phone was tapped.
Hannon told of another interesting conversation allegedly that took place between himself and Rezko in Rezko’s home.
“He asked me if I knew that even that my cell pone was turned off, conversations could be listened to. I said, really? That strikes me … I was surprised,” Hannon said.
* Yikes…
Charles Hannon [testified today that] Rezko offered he and his wife, Fortunee Massuda, a quid pro quo involving Gov. Blagojevich’s controversial proposal to lease the Thompson Center. Rezko, who at the time owed the couple $7 million, offered to sign on Massuda as a consultant for whomever signed up to lease the State of Illinois Building — known as the Thompson Center.
- so-called "Austin Mayor" - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 11:58 am:
When secret compartments are outlawed,
only outlaws will have secret compartments.
– SCAM
so-called “Austin Mayor”
http://austinmayor.blogspot.com
- Cal Skinner - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 11:58 am:
Wasn’t the compartment bill one of Lisa Madigan’s?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:00 pm:
I think you may be right, Cal.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:05 pm:
Regarding Rezko, you have to admire a man who keeps current in his chosen line of work.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:12 pm:
Cal is right.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:12 pm:
Another Ill. Supreme Court decision today upheld the conviction of former Pekin Mayor Lyn Howard on official misconduct charges (for having used a city-issued credit card to gamble).
One of the arguments made in his defense was that he should not have been charged with a criminal offense based on a violation of the Illinois Constitution — but the justices rejected that argument.
I don’t know all the details of the decision but does it sound like something that could have future implications for other public officials?
- Ghost - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:15 pm:
This has always been the big problem wit Rezko’s defense. The idea that Rezko is innocent and levine was a name dopper does not fit with other evidence from other sources. You can pick Levine apart, but there is a lot of coborating evidence.
But its all up to 12 people who could not think of a way to get out of jury duty.
And I thought they had OJ boxed in with the DNA evidence…..
- nino - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:41 pm:
the real good stuff is yet to come. you may not like levine but he has told the truth and it will be proven.
- Pat collins - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:51 pm:
listen when cell phone is off
Only if your cell phone has been modified to be ON when you think it is off. As for taking the battery out, if you can hack a phone to be on and sending when it should be off, you can add in a battery as well
- Red Ranger - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 1:34 pm:
Didn’t Scott Fawell have a device hidden in a clock in his office that detected if a person was wearing a wire? This is getting a little eerie…
- MIDSTATE - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 2:07 pm:
Run Forest aka Rod Run.
- Anon - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 2:11 pm:
What is wrong with a successful developer to have his office occasionally checked for listening devices? Why are people so willing to accept illegal government wiretapping, yet suspicious of a businessman who wants to make sure that the integrity of his business remains in tact?
- Trapped In The Metro East - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 2:42 pm:
==yet suspicious of a businessman who wants to make sure that the integrity of his business remains in tact? ==
that’s what the threat of broken knees if for!
- North of I-80 - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 3:04 pm:
Drug houses usually gut smoke detectrs and install Radio Shack RF monitors that light up when someone is near who is transmitting [wearing a traditional body wire]. The ’smart ones’ know what the cops do to catch them. The feds switched to digital recordings that don’t transmit anything [but if the guy wearing the device gets discovered, no one can hear he/she is in trouble]
Hidden compartments conceal guns and dope; everything from small hydraulic-controlled chambers for guns to hinged trap doors under the floor of truck-tractors to hide pounds of marijuana.
- Cassandra - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 3:08 pm:
So did Mr. Hannon believe Rezko when he offered this consulting contract. Did he see any paper suggesting that Rezko had the authority to make these promises. Or was this all chest-beating by Rezko to avoid paying back his loan.
That’s the problem with this Rezko stuff re the guv. Sure, Rezko is super sleaze. Sure, the guv has poor taste in friends. Sure, we all hope Pres Obama will find a federal job for Blago so we citizens can be spared further pain. But that fact that your sleazy friends are going around claiming they can get you to do stuff….can you be indicted (much less convicted) for that?
- Shelbyville - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 4:16 pm:
So, both of Daley’s people are going to Oxford? I thought that was normally avoided.
- Leave a light on George - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 4:59 pm:
Cassandra yes you can be indicted and convicted by what what your sleazy friends say they can get you to do especially if you follow through and do ti!
It ain’t bragging if you do it!
- Wild Bill - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 6:33 pm:
Let’s Blaggo insider doing deals on leasing/selling assets….anyone wonder why the lottery deal is “stalled”….TR and Kelly might be gone, but Filan, AM3 and Wymamontana still in action.
Hmmmm
- FightforJustice - Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 9:33 pm:
Thank God for the Supreme Court. Two years in prison for the “crime” of having a secret compartment in a vehicle with no contraband? What were those legislators thinking who enacted that violation of basic rights? The war on drugs leads to draconian measures such as this.