Blagojevich denied delay

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Friday refused to delay ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s trial on corruption charges, set to begin Thursday.

Justice John Paul Stevens rejected Blagojevich’s request without comment. His decision came shortly after the Obama administration told the high court that it opposed Blagojevich’s request.

In Chicago, Blagojevich attorney Sheldon Sorosky said after hearing about the decision that the former governor’s legal team was ready for the trial to get under way.

“We didn’t prepare presuming that the Supreme Court would rule in our favor – we prepared for the worst,” Sorosky said. “The Supreme Court has ruled and that’s that.”

Blagojevich had asked the high court to delay his trial until the justices rule first in pending cases about the constitutionality of the federal honest-services fraud law. Prosecutors have charged Blagojevich with violating the fraud law and other crimes.

Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal said the evidence on the honest services charges “is the same as that underlying the bribery, extortion, and racketeering counts.” That means the flow of the trial won’t be affected by what the Supreme Court says about the honest services charges, Katyal said in court papers.

Also, the trial judge has told lawyers on both sides in the Blagojevich case not to use the words “honest services” in their opening statements, Katyal said.

Blagojevich will be tried with his brother, Nashville businessman Robert Blagojevich, in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Rod Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to charges that accuse him of scheming to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat. He has also pleaded not guilty to illegally pressuring potential campaign contributors for money.