Blagojevich's Latest Appeal: Dems Ask Supreme Court To Hear Case

Ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is five years into a 14-year federal prison stint for public corruption, and he wants out. Earlier this year, the disgraced Democrat pointed out that notorious criminals like Al Capone didn't get as much time for their crimes. Now, current and former lawmakers are joining him in asking the Supreme Court to review his case.

The list includes several high-profile congressmen and women, including Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky, Bobby Rush and Luis Gutierrez, and they say they are asking the court to take a closer look at campaign law.

In his appeal, Blagojevich claims that based on a previous case, McCormick vs. the United States, he did not violate campaign law, and his fundraising activities were not illegal. The ex-governor, currently doing time at a federal prison in Colorado, also maintains that his sentence is overly harsh compared with those handed down to officials convicted of similar charges.

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“We need clarity. We are not making a judgment..innocent, guilty or passing judgement. We do believe that there should be clarity," Gutierrez said, according to WGN. Gutierrez, an outspoken Chicago Democrat, recently announced he will not seek re-election in 2018 but is not retiring, leading some to believe he may be eyeing a 2020 presidential run.

Former Illinois congressmen Bill Lipinski, David Phelps and Glenn Poshard are also among the 19 current and former lawmakers listed in an amicus brief filed Monday asking the high court to take on Blagojevich's appeal.

The brief is asking the Supreme Court to provide clarity, saying current laws create confusion over “the necessary, legitimate solicitation of campaign contributions, on the one hand, and unlawful extortion, bribery, and fraud, on the other.”

Two years ago, a three-judge panel overturned five of Blagojevich's 18 convictions, but a judge upheld his 14-year sentence in 2016.

The Supreme Court has until Jan 3, 2018 to respond to Blagojevich's appeal, filed last month. If the court declines to review the case, his last hope would be to ask President Donald Trump — who famously fired him on "Celebrity Apprentice" — to commute his sentence.

In this Dec. 7, 2011 file photo, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, left, speaks to reporters as his wife, Patti, listens at the federal building in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)