A federal judge shut down former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s (D) latest attempt to regain ballot eligibility by quoting Dr. Seuss, underlining the former governor’s fall from political star to laughingstock.
Blagojevich sued the state of Illinois in 2020, alleging the General Assembly’s decision to remove him from office and bar him from running again violated his civil rights. The former governor was impeached and convicted on corruption charges stemming from alleged attempts to sell former President Obama’s vacated Senate seat.
U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger denied Blagojevich’s arguments, ruling in an unusual narrative-driven opinion that his case should be dismissed.
“The complaint is riddled with problems,” Seeger wrote. “If the problems are fish in a barrel, the complaint contains an entire school of tuna. It is a target-rich environment. The complaint is an Issue-Spotting Wonderland.”
“The bottom line is that the judiciary has no power to unimpeach, unconvict, and unremove a public official,” he continued. “The legislature taketh away, and the judiciary cannot giveth back.”
Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his crimes and served eight, after having his sentence commuted by former President Trump in 2020. He sued the state to be able to run again just months after gaining his freedom.
Seeger delayed publishing the opinion for months, with the verdict coming just over a year after the last motion in the case.
Citing clear constitutional arguments against Blagojevich’s case and jurisdictional problems, the judge summed up the story by spinning a colorful narrative, laced with a quote from Dr. Seuss.
“The case began with great fanfare. Surrounded by microphones and cameras, with a gaggle of press in tow, Blagojevich announced to the world that he might want a sequel in public life,” Seeger wrote. “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.”
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The judge then added a quote from Dr. Seuss’s 1972 children’s tale, “Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now.”
“The time has come. The time has come. The time is now. Just Go. Go. GO!,” the quote reads. “I don’t care how. You can go by foot. You can go by cow. Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now!”
“The case started with a megaphone, but it ends with a whimper,” Seeger continued.
“Sometimes cases in the federal courthouse attract publicity. But the courthouse is no place for a publicity stunt. He wants back. But he’s already gone. Case dismissed.”