Posted on 04/30/2010 11:03:41 AM PDT by OldDeckHand
CHICAGO (AP) - A federal judge in Chicago has refused to issue a subpoena for President Barack Obama to testify at former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's political corruption trial.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
The difference is that BJ was under investigation, directly.
In the meantime we get to see judicial malpractice,
and the Paula Jones case was a civil suit versus this one that is criminal.
Grounds for an appeal.
You Know The Drill
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Hey! FReepers!
Help Fill The Tank!
How About It? Huh?
It Ain't Askin' Too Much
Ya Know....
It does seem contrary to the law. I hope that the Blagojevich team appeals.
Just spill the beans Blago....before you end up with a pair of cement shoes and turned into sturgeon bait.
Remember, Jones v. Clinton was a civil matter, not a criminal investigation. Defendants in criminal trials have a constitutional right to examine witnesses. The fact that the judge is so dismissive with respect to Obama's relevance is particularly troubling in light of the fact that he was interviewed (according to press reports) by the FBI and USA for at least TWO HOURS on the subject.
If nothing else, you would think that in the interest of due process, a subpoena for deposition would have been granted. I'll wager that there will be an interlocutory appeal, and this isn't yet over.
"Zagel said the defense motion fell "very short" of demonstrating a need to subpoena the president."
Yeah sure ....
Blago is going to skate on this eventually, then.
But maybe that was the plan all along.
A ray of hope.....
Leni
I would add, that information and witness testimony presented during the State’s case, may be tested and impeached during cross, or during the presentment of the defense case. IOW, whatever the outcome of the appeal, Blago’s lawyers will have an opportunity to establish a foundation for calling Obama.
>The difference is that BJ was under investigation, directly.
Let’s re-examine things for a second. What is the point of having a co-equal branch of the Government called the Judiciary existing if it is prohibited (by law or custom) from ensuring that the sitting members of the other branches are in compliance with the [pre-existing] law?
I am surprised Rezko hasn't been pardoned yet !!
CHICAGO, EVEN THE JUDGE IS CORRUPT !!!!!!!!!!!!
“” A federal judge in Chicago”
I quit reading right there ;-)
If this goes to SCOTUS, it will be a 7-2 decision against Blago
“CHICAGO, EVEN THE JUDGE IS CORRUPT !!!!!!!!!!!! “
Probably nearly all of them are.
Harvard law graduates stick together.
Barack Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Zagel earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s in 1962 from the University of Chicago before graduating from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor degree in 1965.
Judge Zagel is a graduate of the University of Chicago.
Obama was a professor at the University of Chicago.
From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School’s Senior Lecturers has high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined.
On the recommendation of U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde, Zagel was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by President Ronald Reagan on February 2, 1987, to a seat vacated by Frank McGarr. Zagel was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 21, 1987 on a Senate voice vote and received his commission on April 22, 1987.
"Judge Ruins All Our Fun in Blago Case [Daniel Foster]
The killjoy Chicago federal judge presiding over ex-Gov. Rod 
"The testimony of the president is not material to this case," U.S. District Judge and noted curmudgeon James Zagel said today in issuing the ruling.
The good news is, Zagel said he'd be willing to reconsider the issue as the trial proceeds, if Blagojevich's lawyers can convince him that they — and I — need
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