Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has become known not only for allegedly trying to sell a seat in the Senate, but also for spouting ancient, puzzling quotations. Blagovich quoted Greek philosophers, Roman statesmen, and Bible verses. Fittingly for an ex-convict, Blagojevich seemed particularly fond of, “The truth will set you free.”
Now, Blagojevich has been suing for his ability to run for office again, and at the end of this lawsuit, he saw the tables turned.
The judge rejected the ex-governor’s bid by quoting Dr. Seuss at him.
In a humorous opinion, federal District Judge Steven Seeger rejected Blagojevich’s bid. The judge cited the judiciary’s inability to un-impeach Blagojevich, the federal judiciary’s inability to interfere with state proceedings, and other issues.
“Blagojevich announced to the world that he might want a sequel in public life. The book is closed. The last page already turned, and the final chapter of his public life is over. The case never should have been filed,” Seeger concluded, before quoting Dr. Seuss’s Marvin K. Mooney
Will You Please Go Now.
“The time has come. The time has come. The time is now. Just Go. Go. GO! I don’t care how. You can go by foot. You can go by cow. Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now!”
The judge didn’t stop there. The Hill called his filing “colorful” and described it as “an unusual narrative-driven opinion.”
Take a look at five other barbs from the judge’s 10-page opinion —
- Blagojevich didn’t have a graceful exit from public life. It was disgraceful. By the look of things, it wasn’t even an exit. Because Blagojevich wants back in the game, and back on center stage, microphone in hand.
- While the charges were pending, the Illinois General Assembly took decisive action to remove him from public office. Blagojevich inspired bipartisanship.
- He added that the ‘people’s right to vote is a fundamental right.” Id. And by that, Blagojevich apparently means the fundamental right to vote for him.
- The Constitution isn’t chock-full of adjectives, but the Framers made a point of saying that the “sole” power to impeach rests with the House, and the “sole” power to remove rests with the Senate. “Sole” is a polite way of saying that the other branches need to butt out.
- If state court losers can’t run to the federal courthouse and challenge something that happened in state court, it is hard to see why state impeachment losers can run to the federal courthouse and challenge something that happened in the state legislature.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.