Siegelman Saga Makes Its Way to "60 Minutes"

The controversy surrounding the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman continues to spread as details surrounding his case become public. (What do you bet John Grisham wishes he had come up with this first?!) While the issues pertaining to the former democratic governor's prosecution are extremely complicated, there is a clear appearance of political motivation on behalf of both the District Judge hearing his case and the Justice Department. For example, Bush Circuit Court nominee William Pryor was implicated in the same "dirty lobbyist" scandal as Siegelman, but was never charged. In fact, the allegations of misconduct by Pryor were never even investigated.

In October 2007, the House Judiciary Subcommittees on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and Commercial and Administrative Law held a joint hearing to examine allegations of wrong-doing by District Judge Fuller (the judge presiding over Siegelman's trial). The hearing also looked into possible selective prosecution by the US Justice Department. Alliance for Justice submitted written testimony to be considered at this hearing, which is available on our website here.

Mainstream media is finally starting to take notice, too. Last Sunday, "60 Minutes" did a segment on the Siegelman prosecution and the controversy surrounding it. You can watch the video below.



Also, Scott Horton of Harper's Magazine will be the guest in this month's First Monday program. Scott has been at the forefront of the investigative journalism surrounding the Siegelman prosecution and will be chatting LIVE about it on FireDogLake at 3pm on Monday, March 3rd. To participate in the chat, just register for a free commenter account.