Former governor files appeal with Supreme Court

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002 | 9:26 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Eight weeks into his 10-year prison sentence for extortion and racketeering, former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards filed what amounts to his last hope for release, a 35-page appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The high court had already refused to let Edwards stay free pending the filing of his appeal. And Edwards has acknowledged in the past that the odds are against him -- the Supreme Court hears only a tiny percentage of the appeals it receives.

Edwards was convicted along with his son Stephen and three other men in a scheme to rig the riverboat casino licensing process during Edwards' fourth and final term in office. The former governor faces a 10-year prison sentence for racketeering, extortion and fraud.

At issue in his appeal, filed Monday, is whether his right to an impartial verdict was violated when a juror was dismissed after deliberations began.

Also at issue is the use of an anonymous jury and the legality of a wiretap application that was used to gather evidence against him.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Edwards' arguments earlier this year. Monday's appeal urges the Supreme Court to hear the case to resolve conflicts among the different appeals circuits on issues involving dismissal of jurors, anonymous juries and wiretap applications.