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* 9:17 am - Bad news for George…

The Supreme Court has rejected former Illinois Gov. George Ryan’s appeal of his federal racketeering and fraud conviction.

The justices have no comment on their action, in response to Ryan’s claim that he and his fellow defendant, businessman Larry Warner did not receive a fair trial.

* 9:55 am - The Rezko trial jurors just sent the judge a note…

In it, jurors asked to leave at noon today to accommodate a job interview for one of the jurors.

But they indicated they will stay an hour and a half later Wednesday and Thursday to: “help conclude our decision.” They will stay until 5:50 p.m. the next two days, the timing was set to help jurors make the train.

Some reporters were unimpressed by the note, one television reporter hurried out of the courtroom bench saying :”Excuse me. I gotta go blow this out of proportion.”
Another TV reporter joked: “I took a shower for this?”

LOL.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 9:18 am

Comments

So is this (for lack of a better metaphor) the final nail in the coffin? Is Ryan finally out of legal options? Can we now focus on the next governor to be indicted?

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 9:26 am
Bad news for George, good news for virtually everyone else - fans of good and honest government, those who are happy that the Thompson/Webb dream team took an L, the taxpayers of Illinois.

Comment by Outsider looking in Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 9:30 am
Good news. Mr. Ryan is having his rights recognized by our court system, and justice is being served. Even a governor cannot avoid a prison sentence when convicted for committing a crime considered imprisonable.

Is he the guy who complained about losing 75 pounds while in jail? I didn’t think so!

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 9:38 am
This is the way the [lawsuit] ends,
Not with a bang but a whimper.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 9:38 am
Does he apply for a commutation now to Pres. Bush? I mean, Thompson and Webb are still Republican establishment. Cite age, public service as reasons? What have you got to lose?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 10:02 am
Leaving early again,why does it seem that the jurors are not taking this seriously.

Comment by illinois citizen Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 10:04 am
Word, yes - he can go to Ed Gillespie and Josh Bolten and ask/beg for a pardon. I would bet Bush would pardon him. Why not? He got I Scoot Libby a commutation.

The Supreme Court was right to deny his motion. George got a very lengthy and fair trial, and he lost. Many people currently in the penal system could only dream of having the trial he had - and the ongoing motions. A lot of cases even proposed to SCOTUS wait years for a vote on the writ of certiori. This was quick.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 10:17 am
Everybody sing along with me

“All the federalies say they could of had him any day. They only let him go so long out of kindness I suppose.”

Comment by Leave a light on George Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 10:18 am
And I dropped those two names because someone like George Ryan could easily reach out to the highest staffers. He and his legal team would not have to work through the regular channels.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 10:19 am
I suppot the juries action. They are trying to keep unneccessary pressure from other important events in their lives from overshadowing their obligation; but at the same time they are trying to get the job done. We should consider that jury service should not include additnal penalties, and agreeing to work late certain days so that a fellow juror can try and obtain employment is a laudible solution.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 10:30 am
It would appear that Rezko is not willing to make a deal with the feds. I think the time for that has passed. He must really think he is going to beat all charges.

Comment by One of the 35 Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 11:08 am
”Excuse me. I gotta go blow this out of proportion.”

Finally! Honesty in reporting. Too bad they don’t realize this about their reporting on the campaigns.

Comment by A.Voter Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 11:10 am
I remember a time when jurors were told to stay put and they did. How many times do these people need to start all over again? The more it’s delayed, the more BS the governor will force down the state taxpayers’ throats.

Comment by Disgusted Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 11:17 am
I hope Bush doesn’t pardon this clown, not commute his sentence.

I hope this is as successful as the attempt to remove Fitzgerald.

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 11:30 am
I think in a trial such as this, where the juror has applied for a job that he is interviewing for comes into play.

Could the job offer influence his vote on the jury. Is the juror interviewing for a job at a Rezko firm or in state government.

Any possible ties to any major players in this case or any of the other investigations.

Cynical view I know, but definitely not out of the question considering Il politics. The Judge needs to take a close look into this issue!!

Comment by anon Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 12:06 pm
A juror needs to go to a job interview shortly after a position becomes available when Carol Ronen leaves her position as senior advisor in the Blagojevich administration…hmmm, coincidence?

Comment by Intergrity check Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 12:08 pm
The longer jury hours will “help conclude our decision” — maybe they’re wrapping it up.

Comment by Lurker Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 12:24 pm
“… our decision” and not “…our decisionS” ??? does this mean anything?

Did the juror receive an appointment to the Teachers’ Retirement System Board from the Governor over the weekend and has to do a face-to-face to finalize it? Wonder how many IL Govt job offers were distributed among the jury room….

Comment by North of I-80 Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 12:34 pm
I wonder if a committment to 2 days indicates there is some direction towards finding a guilty verdict.

Comment by The Ibenidiot Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 12:39 pm
and the next Associate of the Tollway Procurement Department is..Juror # 5

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 12:46 pm
I smell a RAT! be ready good citizens of IL., we are about to get another one, right up the you know where……If Rezko is found innocent, remember and watch the appointments….Illinois opperated by the new/old MAFIA! What a State!

Comment by Big W Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 12:50 pm
There isn’t a chance that Bush would pardon Ryan. The two are not exactly fond of each other. I seriously doubt that Thompson knows anyone in the Bush white house anymore.

A more serious question might be, which of the 3 presidential candidates might do it? He would be known to the Clintons (he stayed in the white house) and of course, Obama knows him. I asked McCain once about George Ryan and he didn’t quite know who he was.

Comment by Shelbyville Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 1:08 pm
And, all of the king’s horses and all of the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Are you taking notes, Rod?

Comment by Mad Max Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 1:27 pm
Rezko is going down.Even if there’s no convictions on this trial(which there probably will be).There two more Rezko trials.I expect the Feds to tell Mr. Rezko it’s time to cut a deal.Rezko has more than a few politicians in his pocket.

Comment by Steve Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 1:56 pm
One would hope that the Judge would ask with whom the job interview was.

One would think that no one would be crazy enough to try and buy a juror with a job offer after both sides rested. I am not a trial lawyer but one would think the time line of juror tampering would be much easier to prove than this corruption charge.

Comment by 618er Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 1:59 pm
Sheesh, the Lone Gunmen are out in force. Think about what you’re all saying: You tamper with a juror, but the juror has to submit to a JOB INTERVIEW first?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 2:05 pm
I feel about as sorry for George Ryan as George does for 6 children named Ben, Joseph, Samuel, Hank, Elizabeth, and Peter. George’s family can come and visit him. Rev. & Mrs. Scott Willis had to go decorate 6 graves yesterday.

Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 2:27 pm
The juror in question could have applied for a private sector job months ago — long before he or she got called for jury duty — and only now be getting called for an interview. It could be a job he or she has sought for a long time in order to better provide for himself or his/her family. If that’s the case, I think the other jurors are being very considerate and reasonable.

If the juror had applied for a state agency job or a job with a Rezko-linked firm I would think he or she would have had enough sense to mention that during the jury selection process.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 3:05 pm
poser is on the loose

Comment by Anon Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 3:32 pm
It wouldn’t surprise me if Dubya does pardon Ryan.

Brother JEB might run for Prez some day and having what is left of the Illinois GOP “establishment” on his side would help. At least for fundraising.

I think Thompson and Webb are the old line GOP establishment. All two of them.

Comment by IrishPirate Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 3:36 pm
Geez. Some of these theories are “out there” even for Scully and me. Especially you, North of I-80. If any juror was dumb enough to accept an appointment to the TRS, particularly in the cursed Stu Levine seat, they have no place being on that jury.

Comment by Fox Mulder Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 6:00 pm
Poser, not sure where you get your info, but you’re wrong. E-mail me and we can talk about it if you’d like, but you’re way off base.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 7:02 pm
Maybe Thompson had some pull in DC before, but you know his stint on the 911 commission didn’t make the prez look very good, so why would George W. want to reward that? A clemency decision has too many variables to successfully handicap, but my gut says Dubya would sooner pardon a long list of others that he owes more favors to, before getting down to an ex-Illinois governor.

Comment by Court Jester Tuesday, May 27, 08 @ 8:36 pm
Bad News for Rod also……..

Comment by iMAGINE Wednesday, May 28, 08 @ 6:55 am