Blagojevich Demands Yet Another Trial

Rod Blagojevich isn’t going away that easily. The ex-governor is demanding yet another trial, arguing that the judge was biased, and “deprived Blagojevich of the presumption of innocence,” the Chicago Tribune reports. The 158-page filing details a host of perceived injustices, from jury selection up through Blagojevich’s climactic testimony. It complains that Judge James Zagel “formed a closed mind to the evidence,” ruling against the defense at nearly every turn.

“The Court rubber-stamped the government’s requests,” the document says, complaining that the judge refused to allow the defense to play more of Blagojevich’s recorded phone conversations, and broke his promise to let Blagojevich tell his side of the story on the stand. “The Court explicitly told defense counsel that the only path to acquittal was through Blagojevich's testimony,” the filing said. “Yet when Blagojevich finally took the stand, he was bamboozled by the Court's rulings.” (More Rod Blagojevich stories.)