Appeals court judges in New York seem receptive to arguments that a recent Supreme Court ruling tosses ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's public corruption conviction into doubt.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Manhattan did not say how it will rule after hearing over an hour of oral arguments Thursday.
Silver, a Democrat, was sentenced last year to 12 years in prison. He has not had to report to prison after the Supreme Court reversal of the conviction of Virginia Republican ex-Gov. Robert McDonnell provided him a substantial issue on appeal.
His lawyers say the reasoning in the Supreme Court case shows the jury was improperly instructed on the law. They have asked the court to order a judgment of acquittal or at least a new trial.
