Posted on 02/27/2014 1:32:41 PM PST by markomalley
The court rules Julius Henson–who was convicted in a case involving robocalls on Election Day in 2010–violated his probation when filing for candidacy for the Maryland Senate.
Political reporter Pat Warren reports Henson has been sentenced four months pending appeal.
At his probation violation hearing on Thursday, Henson testified that he did not think probation prohibited him from running for office.
The State’s Attorney claims candidacy for state Senate violates a condition of Henson’s probation that he not participate in campaigns.
Henson said in an email Monday that he planned to run as a Democrat for senator in Baltimore’s 45th District. Henson planned to run against Sen. Nathaniel McFadden, who has represented that district since 1995. Henson says the East Baltimore district is plagued by high unemployment and crime.
Henson served a 30-day jail term in 2012 after being convicted of conspiracy. Prosecutors had alleged that the robocalls, made to about 110,000 Democratic voters in Baltimore and Prince George’s County, were aimed at keeping black voters from the polls during Maryland’s gubernatorial election.
Some might say that he’s quite fit to be a Democrat candidate.
But it does bug me that one could be banned from being a candidate for office on the basis of being banned from “campaign activity.” That sounds like an overreach. Maybe he would need to have somebody else performing his campaign activities. But that isn’t what came into question.
You do realize the illegal activity was done to help a republican?
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
How do you always get in on these threads before I do? Do you sort of circle the thermals over Free Republic like a buzzard looking for a story carcass with Maryland in it?
Not snarky or annoyed, just wondering.
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