Court Declines to Hear Jefferson's Challenge

Court Declines to Hear Jefferson's Challenge: "The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would not hear former Rep. William J. Jefferson's challenge to his indictment on public corruption charges.

Jefferson, D-La. (1991-2009), will stand trial June 2 on 16 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, soliciting bribes and other charges. He had challenged the bribery-related counts on the grounds that the grand jury heard evidence covered by the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause, which immunizes lawmakers from criminal or civil actions launched because of legislative duties."

Jefferson's argument previously had been rejected by a federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Jefferson petitioned the Supreme Court to review the case, which the Supreme Court declined without comment.

Jefferson's lawyers had sought to review transcripts of all the grand jury proceedings in the case, but the government provided only transcripts of testimony by Jefferson's aides -- more than 600 pages' worth. The lawyers found what they argued was evidence of testimony covered by the Speech or Debate Clause in Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution and unsuccessfully moved to dismiss the bribery-related counts in the indictment.

The district court had held that Jefferson was not entitled to the grand jury material he sought, because the indictment did not involve conduct covered by the clause.

Jefferson's attorney, Robert P. Trout, declined to comment on the Supreme Court's action.