BILL BARONI

A year removed from the Supreme Court’s tossing of her conviction in New Jersey's ‘Bridgegate’ case, Bridget Kelly is seeking to resurrect her political career.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two aides to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who were at the center of the Bridgegate scandal engaged in corruption and abuse of power but not criminal acts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday as it unanimously threw out their convictions and placed new limits on political corruption prosecutions. The decision marked the latest instance in which the court hemmed in prosecutors in political corruption cases. The Supreme Court ruled that their actions did not fit within the definition of fraud under federal law. Baroni started serving his 18-month sentence but was released when the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case last year. Slideshow (3 Images)Mark Coyne, a Justice Department lawyer, said prosecutors are bound by the Supreme Court ruling, which he said speaks for itself.

FILE PHOTO: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, in Manchester, New Hampshire, May 12, 2015. The Supreme Court ruled that their actions did not fit within the definition of fraud under federal law. Baroni started serving his 18-month sentence but was released when the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case last year. The ruling marks the latest instance in which the Supreme Court hemmed in prosecutors in corruption cases involving political figures. Wildstein, the accused Bridgegate mastermind, was sentenced to probation in 2017 after pleading guilty and cooperating with prosecutors.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled sympathy on Tuesday toward two associates of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who are seeking to have their convictions in the Bridgegate scandal overturned in a case focusing on what kinds of political acts can be prosecuted as criminal fraud. Bill Baroni, a former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, leaves the U.S. Supreme Court after it heard oral arguments over his criminal prosecution in the New Jersey "Bridgegate" scandal, in Washington, U.S. January 14, 2020. A ruling in favor of Kelly and Baroni could make it harder to prosecute public officials for certain political acts. The Supreme Court in 2016 threw out former Republican Virginia Governor Robert McDonnells bribery conviction in a ruling that narrowed the types of conduct that can warrant such prosecution. Baroni initially started serving an 18-month prison sentence but was released after the Supreme Court agreed last year to hear the case.

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared skeptical about the criminal prosecution of two associates of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who are appealing their convictions in the "Bridgegate" scandal involving retribution against a local mayor who refused to endorse Christie. Chris Christie, arrives to testify in the Bridgegate trial at the Federal Courthouse in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. October 27, 2016. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2018 upheld the 2016 convictions of Kelly and Baroni for wire fraud and misusing Port Authority resources. Baroni initially started serving an 18-month prison sentence but was released after the Supreme Court agreed last year to hear the case. The Supreme Court in 2016 threw out McDonnell's bribery conviction in a ruling that narrowed the types of conduct that can warrant a corruption prosecution.

(CNN) - Bill Baroni, a former New Jersey official convicted in the Bridgegate scandal, was released from prison Monday afternoon following a court order, his lawyer Stephen Orlofsky told CNN. On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear former Christie aide Bridget Anne Kelly's appeal. Baroni identified himself as a respondent in Kelly's appeal, and requested to be released on bail pending the outcome of the case. "We're delighted that Mr. Baroni has been released and we look forward to argument in the Supreme Court," Orlofsky said. Kelly said in a statement last Friday that she is "grateful and encouraged" the Supreme Court decided to hear her case.

Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, exits federal court after sentencing in Newark, New Jersey, March 29, 2017. A federal judge has ordered a defendant in the so-called Bridgegate lane closure scandal freed from prison pending the case's appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court said Friday it would hear the appeal from Baroni and another former Christie aide, Bridget Kelly, in the fall. Kelly and Baroni have said they're grateful the Supreme Court is hearing their appeal and are hopeful the court will find no crime was committed. Both Baroni and Kelly had their sentences reduced after an appeals court tossed out civil rights convictions last fall.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal concerning the criminal convictions of two former associates of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in the so-called Bridgegate scandal that hindered his 2016 presidential candidacy. FILE PHOTO: Former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Bill Baroni is pictured as he leaves the court following his sentencing in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., March 29, 2017. Bill Baroni, a former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who was also convicted, would benefit if Kelly wins. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding their convictions for wire fraud and misusing Port Authority resources. The court will hear oral arguments and issue a ruling in its next term, which starts in October and ends in June 2020.

The justices announced they would hear the case in the fall involving Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni that came to be known as Bridgegate. Her lawyer, Michael Critchley, told NJ.com that he had tears in his eyes on Friday when he told her of the court's decision. Attorneys said in asking the Supreme Court to take the case that the implication of the appeals court's decision was "astounding and grave." The court's decision came despite the U.S. solicitor general's recommending that the court not hear the appeal"Further review is not warranted," the solicitor general's brief to the court said. Kelly was set to report to prison on July 10, though it's unclear whether the high court's decision would affect that.