Richmond, Va. – The Supreme Court has announced they will hear former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell’s appeal on April 27th.
The Supreme Court agreed in January to hear the appeal and McDonnell had filed an opening brief with the Supreme Court on February 29th.
McDonnell was convicted on federal corruption charges in September of 2014. He was sentenced to two years in prison for the crimes, but last August the Supreme Court granted an emergency motion allowing him to stay out of jail while the justices considered whether to take up the case.
The case essentially centers around the question of just what constitutes the scope of an “official action” under federal corruption law. In 2014, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia convicted him of 11 counts finding that he violated the law when he received money and loans from Jonnie R. Williams, the CEO of a Virginia based company called Star Scientific, in exchange for official acts. Williams was seeking state support in a bid to get FDA approval for a dietary supplement his company was developing called Anatabloc.
“In 2011 and 2012,” Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli wrote in Court briefs, “while petitioner was the Governor of Virginia, he and his wife Maureen McDonnell solicited and secretly accepted more than $175,000 in money and luxury goods from Jonnie Williams.” The funds included loans, deluxe shopping trips, golf outings and a Rolex watch.
“In exchange,” Verrilli wrote McDonnell agreed to “help Williams seek favorable actions from the Virginia government.”
McDonnell’s lawyers argue that the former governor’s actions were limited to routine political courtesies such as arranging meetings, asking questions and attending events and that he never exercised any governmental power on behalf of Williams.
In court papers they say that the lower court decision construed “official action” so broadly that it dramatically expanded federal corruption statutes in order to make “common place actions” federal felonies.
“This is the first time in our history that a public official has been convicted of corruption despite never agreeing to put a thumb on the scales of any government decision,” Noel J. Francisco, a lawyer for McDonnell wrote in court papers.
Francisco also argued that the district court failed to adequately question prospective jurors about pretrial publicity.
The Obama administration urged the Court to allow an opinion by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld the district court ruling to stand.
Verrilli said that the lower court got the decision right because the convictions were based on the “unexceptionable proposition that a public official violates federal corruption statutes where, as here, he accepts personal benefits in exchange for his agreement to influence government matters.”
Elected officials and campaign donors alike are carefully watching the case to see if the justices will clarify the scope of so-called “official action” under federal corruption law.
McDonnell is supported by former federal officials, on both side of the political spectrum including former Attorney Generals Michael B. Mukasey, John Ashcroft who served in Republican administrations as well as Gregory B. Craig, former Counsel to President Barack Obama.
“The law should not be broadened,” they wrote in briefs, “to subject government officials to the threat of prosecution for engaging in innocent conduct that occurs on a routine basis.”
This story was written with additional content from CNN
Related:
Former Gov. McDonnell files U.S. Supreme Court opening brief
Supreme Court to hear appeal of former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell
Appeals court denies Bob McDonnell’s request to remain free during SCOTUS appeal
Former Va. Governor Bob McDonnell’s latest appeal denied by U.S. 4th Circuit Court
Former Va. First Lady Maureen McDonnell’s appeal scheduled for late October
Appeals court upholds McDonnell guilty verdict
Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell back in court for appeal
Maureen McDonnell sentenced to one year, one day in prison
Former Virginia Attorney General Cuccinelli weighs in on McDonnell sentencing
