Court To Hear Arguments On Blagojevich Appeal

An appeals court says it will hear arguments next month on granting a new trial to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.  

A Friday posting by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says the sides will deliver arguments before a three-judge panel on Dec. 13. Each will have 30  minutes. 

Lawyers for the 56-year-old imprisoned Democrat filed a 100-page appeal in July, arguing that trial Judge James Zagel committed a litany of errors. The government filed a 169-page, point-by-point response earlier this week.

Jurors convicted Blagojevich of wide-ranging corruption in 2011, including for trying to profit from his power to name someone to the U.S. Senate seat that Barack Obama vacated to become president. Blagojevich is serving a 14-year prison term in Colorado.  

The court should rule within several months.