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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKremlingate legalities - campaign violations the least of it
From Bill Moyers & Company
There's been quite a lot of talk about whether colluding with the Russians would be a crime if it were proven. This piece by Randall Eliason, a former Assistant US Attorney who now teaches law at George Washington University, may be a few days old but is the most comprehensive look at the potential legal ramifications of the story that we've seen. The short version: campaign finance violations, which have dominated much of the discussion, are the very least of it.
http://billmoyers.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1d6affa204bd5a2af07918fe1&id=ff7390b476&e=897250dfe0
murielm99
(30,776 posts)they can be found guilty of any of these crimes and the current Supreme Court will overturn the convictions.
I am not sure how much pardons will play into this. I am a bit more worried at this point about our highest court.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,894 posts)Last edited Sat Jul 15, 2017, 04:14 PM - Edit history (1)
The Supreme Court rarely accepts criminal cases for review - they'll do it only if there's a significant constitutional issue that is unresolved or there is a split among the federal circuit courts.
In a criminal trial, if the defendant is found guilty by jury verdict, defense counsel can make a motion for a judgment of acquittal (similar to a motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict in a civil trial), but these motions are hardly ever granted. It might happen if the judge thinks the prosecution presented insufficient evidence and as a result concludes that no reasonable jury could have reached a guilty verdict beyond a reasonable doubt. This is a very tough standard to meet. If the judge denies the motion for acquittal the defendant can appeal, but the appellate court always gives great deference to jury verdicts. Unless a trial was horribly bungled by the prosecutor (which would be extremely unlikely in the cases in question, given the first-rate quality of the lawyers who prosecute high-stakes federal criminal cases), a guilty verdict will almost certainly be upheld by the appellate courts.
Panich52
(5,829 posts)w/ the protracted appeal.