United States v. Blagojevich
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
794 F.3d 729 (2015)
Relevant factsFree
As governor, Blagojevich (defendant) was empowered to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat after Obama's presidential election, and proposed appointing Obama's presumed preferred candidate, Jarrett, in exchange for Blagojevich himself receiving a Cabinet appointment; he was convicted on multiple extortion counts (including unrelated, clearly corrupt conduct), and appealed the counts specifically tied to this Senate-seat-for-Cabinet-position proposal.
IssueFree
Whether a proposed trade of one public act in return for another constitutes extortion under color of official right.