Other Than Going Free, What Does Clemency Mean For Rod Blagojevich? He Can Vote Again, But Can Never Own A Gun
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When former Gov. Rod Blagojevich goes free – potentially as soon as Tuesday night – after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence, he'll still face a few restrictions.
CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said, while Trump's clemency order reduced Blagojevich's 14-year prison sentence, it did not clear his criminal record, so he'll still be a convicted felon.
That means Blagojevich is not allowed to own or possess a firearm for the rest of his life, according to Miller.
However, now that his sentence has been completed, he'll be allowed to vote in Illinois.
As for any possible parole restrictions Blagojevich might face, Miller said that depends on the specifics of Trump's order commuting his sentence.
"What we don't know at this point is if his parole restrictions are still going to apply to him, or if the president in signing this commutation also eliminated parole," Miller said.
Blagojevich's sentence included two years of supervised release, the federal equivalent of parole. Supervised release typically requires a convicted felon to report regularly to a probation officer, and avoid certain risk-related behaviors such as substance abuse or criminal associations.
It's still unclear exactly when Blagojevich will be released from prison in Colorado, but Miller said it should be by the end of the day.
"Once the order from the president is communicated to the penitentiary in Littleton, that's when he'll walk out the front door," Miller said.
Blagojevich also is barred from ever holding public office again in Illinois, although that ban stems not from his criminal conviction, but from his impeachment. When the Illinois Senate unanimously voted to remove him as governor in 2009, they also voted to disqualify him from holding elected office again in Illinois.
