September Trial Date Set For Sen. Ted StevensA federal judge has granted Sen. Ted Stevens’ request for a speedy trial — calling for jury selection to begin just weeks before the elections this fall.
Stevens (R-AK) is set for trial Sept. 24 on seven counts of making false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms, court documents show.
Accused of taking more than $250,000 in undisclosed gifts from the CEO of an Alaska-based oil services firm, Stevens said he wants to “clear his name” before voters decide whether to give the 84-year-old lawmaker a seventh term.
The schedule outlined allows less than two months for all pretrial preparations, a remarkably quick turnaround for a federal case.
For now, the case is scheduled for trial before Judge Emmet G. Sullivan in Washington, DC. The judge has not yet ruled on Stevens’ attorney’s request that the case be moved to federal district court in Alaska, where Stevens is a popular political patriarch.