Bid-rigging trial expected in November
By John Cheves – jcheves@herald-leader.com
Bill Nighbert (left) and Leonard Lawson
The bid-rigging trial of road contractor Leonard Lawson and former state Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert is expected to start in early November and last three weeks, U.S. District Judge Karl Forester said Thursday at a hearing in Lexington.
Forester told attorneys that he’s considering a 60-day moratorium on their motions prior to trial, to discourage media coverage of the case that could contaminate the jury pool.
The judge said he will ask the Lexington Herald-Leader, The Courier-Journal of Louisville and the Associated Press to refrain from publishing stories about the case in the days leading up to the trial.
Separately, Forester denied a motion by Lawson’s attorneys to delay the release of investigative records held by Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway until after the trial.
The Herald-Leader and Courier-Journal have requested records from a state investigation of Lawson in the 1980s. Forester said that, as a federal judge, he has no jurisdiction to stop a state official from responding to a request under the state open records law.
Later, a spokeswoman for Conway said he must review the judge’s ruling before deciding his next move on the records’ release.
Forester also set an Aug. 6 hearing for attorneys to argue over the admissibility of defendants’ statements secretly recorded by a government witness, James Rummage, a former state transportation engineer.
Lawson, Nighbert and Lawson employee Brian Billings are charged with conspiring to buy or sell internal state estimates of road projects during the administration of previous Gov. Ernie Fletcher, and then covering up the conspiracy. All three have pleaded not guilty.
Filed Under: State Government
About the Author: John Stamper is the accountability editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Monticello, Ky., he has been with the Herald-Leader in a variety of roles since graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2000. Reach him at jstamper@herald-leader.com
Cheves, old boy, would that be this coming November? As for the 80s investigation, AG Conway must hate that decision. Probably not a lot of Republicans in the mix back then, you know? As for the judge requesting no media stories before the trial, when did we become Canada?
Judge Forrester is one fine and fair minded judge. My father knew him and his family. I know that he will give these men a fair trial. Glad to finally have a good judge for this case.
PS Are contaminated jury pools kind of like dirty bird baths? Are two month moratoriums on defense motions SOP on high publicity trials? Rick Pitino’s lawyers are probably very interested in such little things.
Those Lawson records the media seek from Conway are either locked away in a Cincinnati law firm or under the bed at Judge Graham’s bed in Frankfort. Either way, you’re not getting a peek, Cheves.
Well, it’s about time some of these crooks were stopped. This has gone on for decades and the good ole boy network has prospered. I really don’t think these crooks will serve a day, nor will the political leaders who approved the actions be prosecuted. They will just find other people and ways to steal taxpayer monies.
Somebody done whomped David Williams’ BFF Bill Nightbert up side the head with a big ol ugly stick.
is it ok for Judge Forester’s son-in-law (think his name is Shawn Cutter) to be the lobbyist for the Kentucky Highway Contractors (Lawson one of if not the biggest contributor)?
Business as usual!!!
Study after study shows you get more stimulus money “bang for your buck” when you do road improvements instead of large new projects (which primarily benefits a single contract owner not the additional employment jobs it was suppose to create since they just stack jobs instead of them being done at the same time) but Kentucky is spending 80% on brand new construction, no doubt as political payback. Hmmm… Even making national headlines for doing it!!