APNewsBreak: Attorney says lead attorney and others intend to leave Blagojevich defense team
By APThursday, September 30, 2010
APNewsBreak: Attorneys to leave Blagojevich team
CHICAGO — A top attorney for Rod Blagojevich wants the judge to release him from the defense team on the former Illinois governor’s second corruption trial.
That’s according to another Blagojevich attorney, Sheldon Sorosky.
Sorosky says Sam Adam Jr. will ask to withdraw from the case at a Friday hearing before Judge James Zagel, who has the final say in whether Adam can leave.
Adam conducted the opening statements and closing arguments in Blagojevich’s first trial, which ended with the Democrat convicted on only one of 24 counts. The former governor’s defense rested without calling any witnesses.
Sorosky says Adam’s father, Sam Adam Sr., and attorney Michael Gillespie also hope to leave. If the judge agrees, that would leave Sorosky and Aaron Goldstein as the attorneys at the retrial in January.
