Supreme Court denies review of former NY lawmaker’s corruption conviction

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up an appeal by former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D), who was sentenced last summer to more than 6 years in prison for corruption.

Silver, who is incarcerated in a New York federal prison, was rumored to have been considered for a last-minute pardon but received no such clemency before former President Trump left office last week.

The court’s denial of Silver’s appeal on Monday came at the urging of the Department of Justice. A complete voting breakdown among the justices was not made public, as is common practice, but two of the court’s more conservative members publicly dissented.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch indicated that they would have granted review to clarify what they see as the court’s historically jumbled approach to extortion and bribery prosecutions against public officials.

Silver is serving out his sentence in a medium-security prison in Otisville, N.Y., after being convicted for his roles in an illegal real estate scheme and money laundering operation. He is scheduled to be released in April 2024.

Silver served as the Speaker for more than 20 years before he was convicted in 2015 of taking almost $4 million in illicit payments in exchange for favors.