Attorney Fees
Blagojevich Motion Claims Lawyers Are Unpaid, Retrial Should Be Canceled
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says in a motion filed today that he can’t mount a proper defense because the government isn’t paying his legal bills.
The motion says Blagojevich’s retrial should be canceled, and he should be sentenced immediately based on his conviction for lying to the FBI in his first trial, according to the Associated Press and Fox News Chicago.
Blagojevich’s lawyers haven’t been paid for almost nine months, impairing the former governor’s Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel, the filing says. The motion (PDF) is entitled: “Motion to Dismiss the Second Trial and Proceed to Sentencing in the Interest of Justice and Saving Taxpayer Funds.”
