Judge says Rod Blagojevich retrial will be in 2011

8/26/2010 11:10:15 AM

CHICAGO – Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is set to go back on trial in early January, but he will stand alone as a defendant this time after prosecutors dismissed all corruption charges against his brother on Thursday.

U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel said Rod Blagojevich's retrial will start the week of Jan. 4, but he did not set a specific date. Jurors deadlocked last week on all but one of 23 charges against the former governor and four charges against his brother.

The lawyer for Robert Blagojevich delivered the surprise news about the charges being dismissed to his client in a brief phone call moments after the hearing. The attorney, Michael Ettinger, told the Nashville, Tenn., businessman, "You're free." He said Robert Blagojevich responded "Oh my god, you're kidding!"

Federal prosecutors said their decision was based on Robert Blagojevich's less central role in allegedly scheming to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's old Senate seat, and to pressure people for campaign donations.

Jurors had said they were split on the charges against Robert, and some said they did not want to see him retried.

The brothers have denied any wrongdoing.

Ettinger said Robert Blagojevich does not intend to testify against his brother. He said he would have to obey any subpoena, but that he could invoke the 5th amendment to avoid self incrimination.

Zagel said he probably won't allow the former governor more than two taxpayer-funded lawyers when the case begins anew. But the judge said he would be open to allowing more attorneys if they volunteered their time, or to allowing attorneys paid by a benefactor.

Rod Blagojevich says he's broke after his campaign fund was depleted by paying attorneys in his first trial. Zagel called for a detailed report about Blagojevich's financial status to help him make decisions about his representation. He said the source of any funding for Blagojevich's defense must be clear.

In court, Blagojevich attorney Sheldon Sorosky argued that his client would need more than two attorneys. He said the half-dozen attorneys in the first trial were one reason the team was able to successfully battle against convictions on all but one charge of lying to the FBI.

"Instead of a slingshot, our David had his band of lawyers," Sorosky said.

Zagel rejected the analogy. He said he'd never seen a defense table as crowded with attorneys and legal assistants as Blagojevich's was at the first trial.

"I thought it was the defendant that looked like Goliath and not the prosecution," he said.

Another of the former governor's lawyers said after the hearing that no one has left the defense team, despite media reports.

"We're going to meet with the governor and decide what is best for him," said attorney Sam Adam Sr.

Zagel said any attorney who wants to leave the case must file a motion with the judge before Oct. 1. He set the next status hearing for Sept. 9.

The judge indicated that everything likely would have been in place for an earlier trial — possibly as soon as October. But he said he did not want to risk jurors getting down to deliberations during either the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays.

Another consideration, he told attorneys, was that putting off a trial until January would make it easier to pick jurors who did not have news of the first trial fresh in their minds.

He said studies have shown most people recall details of news for only a few months, and so it should be possible to find jurors with "non-specific memories" after that.