Nearly two years after former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was convicted on 11 counts of corruption, the U.S. Supreme Court set aside and remanded the charges against McDonnell in its opinion released Monday.
McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were accused of accepting more than $177,000 in gifts and loans from Star Scientific executive, Jonnie R. Williams, Sr., in exchange for promoting a dietary product called Anatabloc.
Following a six-week jury trial in 2014, McDonnell was charged with 11 corruption convictions and sentenced to two years in prison. His wife was also convicted of nine charges of corruption and sentenced to one year and one day in jail. The trial judge, however, discarded one of her convictions — a charge of obstruction of justice.
McDonnell appealed the decision to a three-judge panel of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld his conviction in July 2015.
The Supreme Court heard McDonnell’s appeal of his conviction charges on April 27.
Much of the courtroom debate centered on defining whether an official action is limited to exercising actual governmental power or just threatening to exercise it or pressuring others to use their power.
McDonnell’s attorney Noel J. Francisco successfully argued that the jury in the six-week trial had not been properly instructed of their goal of determining whether McDonnell tried to influence a government decision.
Additionally, Francisco argued McDonnell’s actions of accepting gifts and money could not qualify as official acts because he never crossed a line by influencing the outcome of any particular decision.
Deputy Solicitor General Michael R. Dreeben pushed back, arguing that the line Francisco wanted is one that is a “recipe for corruption.”
Dreeben said the Court would be sending a terrible message to citizens if it supported a form of government where public officials could arrange meetings with other governmental officials and influence decisions without it being considered bribery.
In its unanimous opinion delivered by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court called for a more limited interpretation of what constitutes an “official act” under federal corruption laws.
“There is no doubt that this case is distasteful; it may be worse than that,” the Court wrote. “But our concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes and ball gowns. It is instead with the broader legal implications of the government’s boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute.”
The Court vacated the convictions and remanded the case “for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”
After the Supreme Court delivered their opinion, McDonnell released an email statement in which he expressed gratitude for the court’s decision.
"From the outset, I strongly asserted my innocence before God and under the law," McDonnell said. "I have not, and would not, betray the sacred trust the people of Virginia bestowed upon me during 22 years in elected office."
Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates William J. Howell also released a statement in support of McDonnell.
"I am relieved for Bob, his family and the Commonwealth of Virginia," Howell said. "Bob will be the first to tell you he takes responsibility for his actions, but he is a good man with an honest heart. I have always been proud to call him my friend."
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