Why the 'Bridgegate' Scandal Could Backfire on Prosecutors

[Eugene]

Source: New York Times

Why the ‘Bridgegate’ Scandal Could Backfire on Prosecutors

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the defendants’ appeal, suggesting that the justices could wipe away a powerful statute.

By Nick Corasaniti
July 3, 2019

Federal prosecutors have often relied on a powerful criminal statute to bring high-profile corruption cases, including the college admissions scandal that ensnared Hollywood celebrities and a string of bribery investigations that targeted college basketball programs.

But now, a key theory of that statute could be gutted because of a challenge by two defendants in another well-known case — “Bridgegate,” the September 2013 closing of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge, which connects Manhattan and New Jersey, to punish a mayor for refusing to offer a campaign endorsement.

The United States Supreme Court, in a decision that surprised legal experts, last week agreed to hear an appeal of the defendants’ corruption convictions in a move that could significantly weaken the ability of prosecutors to go after what they determine to be political malfeasance.

The court’s decision to take on the appeal by the defendants, Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, suggests that the justices are open to overturning their convictions, legal experts said, and follows other rulings that have chipped away at federal corruption laws.

“There has been this stream of cases coming from the Supreme Court that has continued to limit prosecutorial discretion and prosecutorial authority when it comes to corruption cases,” said Jessica Tillipman, an assistant dean at the George Washington University Law School. “So the fact that they took on another corruption case to me signals that there’s a good chance that the statutes will be further narrowed once again.”

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/03/nyregion/bridgegate-supreme-court.html

[Karadeniz]

1. Damn! Getting tired of this.

[PJMcK]

2. A thought

Both Baroni and Kelly were guilty of shutting down the GW Bridge as political payback. I've come to the view that it doesn't matter if they ultimately are cleared because they've had their careers destroyed by their illegal actions. It must have cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, if not more. The stress that they've had to live through these passed years is not insignificant, either.

In short, fuck 'em.

In the long term, the Supreme Court's ruling on the corruption issue will probably go against progressive principles because that's what the Roberts Court does.