Supreme Court Sides with Enron CEO

Could former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling soon be a free man? The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that federal prosecutors were incorrect to use the “honest services” fraud law to convict him. That law has often been criticized for being too vague. “Because Skilling’s misconduct entailed no briber or kickback, he did not conspire to commit honest-services fraud under our confined construction,” Ruth Bader Ginsberg wrote. The ruling does not mean that any of the 19 counts against Skilling will be thrown out; the Court also rejected 6-3 Skilling’s contention that the trial he received in Houston was unfair; a lower court will now decide whether his conviction should be overturned. Skilling is currently serving a 24-year sentence in a minimum-security prison.