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Craig Pushes to Withdraw Guilty Plea

Senator skips court hearing, which centers on mail-in document

By Ambreen Ali,  Newser User

Posted Sep 10, 2008 3:33 PM CDT

(Newser) – Larry Craig's lawyers asked a state appeals court today to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea to disorderly conduct charges. The prosecutor argued that the senator, who did not appear today, waived his right to a trial by using a mail-in form to enter a plea after being busted in a Minneapolis airport bathroom last summer. But the members of the three-judge panel seemed skeptical, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The judges grilled the lead defense attorney after he argued Craig’s behavior didn’t meet the legal definition of disorderly conduct . But a lawyer for the airports commission argued, "There’s no manifest injustice in not allowing Craig’s plea to be undone," the Idaho Statesman reports. The court has 90 days to rule; if it takes the full time, the decision will come after Craig leaves office.

The St. Paul Saints' bobblefoot toy plays on one of the most notorious Minnesota stories of last year.
The St. Paul Saints' bobblefoot toy plays on one of the most notorious Minnesota stories of last year.   (AP Photo/St. Paul Saints)
Larry Craig and his wife Suzanne make their way to a podium to read a statement about his guilty plea to disorderly conduct last year.
Larry Craig and his wife Suzanne make their way to a podium to read a statement about his guilty plea to disorderly conduct last year.   (AP Photo/Troy Maben)
Larry Craig's lawyer say he rushed through signing the mail-in plea and didn't get a chance to defend himself.
Larry Craig's lawyer say he rushed through signing the mail-in plea and didn't get a chance to defend himself.   (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, FILE)
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