The federal judge overseeing the trial of State Rep. Larry Inman, R-Williamsburg, is undecided on his court’s jurisdiction, wavering on whether some charges against the representative are federal issues or not.
Chief Judge Robert Jonker considered a motion to dismiss the charges against Inman in Grand Rapids Friday.
Inman is facing charges of soliciting a bribe, extortion and lying to the FBI. His attorney Chris Cooke filed the motion and argued that those charges aren’t in the federal court’s jurisdiction.
Inman’s vote and any campaign contributions he received are state issues and should be handled by a state court, Cooke said.
Jonker gave the defense and prosecuting attorneys 21 days to file briefs in support of their sides. They'll also have another 14 days to respond to each other.
“I think the (federal) court can draw this line,” Cooke said. “It’s not the territory the federal government should be involved in.”
The judge leaned to dismiss that motion and let a jury answer the question. Jonker said he’s concerned with the precedent it would set if federal prosecutors start pouring over state campaign contributions.
“I’m concerned about what represents a slippery slope,” Jonker said. “That would thrust the federal court into a lot of state supervisory authority.”
Some campaign contributions are protected under the First Amendment after the Citizens United vs. FEC ruling, Jonker said.
U.S. Attorney Chris O’Conner wants the motion dismissed and said the fact that campaign contributions were tied to Inman’s vote makes it a federal crime.
“The quid pro quo turns this from lawful… to unlawful,” he said. “There is nothing protected about a campaign contribution tied to a vote.”
In the meantime, Inman plans to return to the Michigan House of Representatives in September, Cooke said.