The Supreme Court has cleared the way for a re-trial of ex-New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
The high court declined Tuesday to get involved in the case. That allows for a re-trial tentatively set for April to proceed.
Silver was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was convicted of public corruption charges in late 2015. But the U.S. court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit overturned that conviction last year and sent the case back to the trial court.
The appeals court said that the trial judge would need to instruct jurors on the law in a different manner to conform with a 2016 Supreme Court decision that reversed the public corruption conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
4 Responses
From what I know about the Sheldon Silver case, there is arguably a good reason that the facts do not constitute a violation of the statute under which he was prosecuted. I nevertheless believe that the facts of what he did should be illegal, and I would hope that our state legislature enacts another statute to make it clear that Silver’s conduct is a crime.
Where is everyone davening for this yid?
And we should daven for this yid who clearly accepted bribes but the prosecution’s original charges failed to meet the new SCOTUS standard (set in the case of the former Virginia governor who accepted Rolexes etc.) that you have to show a specific quid pro quo in the form of an “official” government action for each bribe. Apparently, just accepting gifts in return for preferred access is no longer a federal crime. Several congressional committees are drafting legislation to reverse this court decision but in the interim, lots of politicians may get a “get out of jail free” card. In this case, the prosecutors feel they can meet the new standard and will refile charges that tie the bribes to “official actions.
There are enough ehrliche yidden who are being unjustly held in prisons in the U.S. and throughout the world on whose behalf we can say tehillim 24×7 without reaching down to the bottom of the barrel ….
I wish him many healthy years to reflect on his crimes, and he can do it from jail. Bribery is disgusting & if you have enough money you can get help. I don’t, so when I called his office about rampant antisemitism in local politics that were affecting my community, I never even got a mechanical call back. A man for all people? Baloney.