High Court Rejects Appeal of Convicted California Lobbyist

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal of a prominent California lobbyist convicted of racketeering and other crimes after federal prosecutors said he bribed a state senator.

Without comment Monday, the court let stand Clayton Jackson’s 1993 federal conviction and 6 1/2-year prison sentence.

Jackson argued on appeal that he was convicted despite a lack of proof that money he offered to then-Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys) was to be in exchange for some specific official action.

Instead, the appeal contended, Jackson’s conviction rests on a mere campaign contribution--protected by the 1st Amendment’s guarantee of free speech--lawfully aimed at influencing a legislator’s views.

Jackson was a major lobbyist for California’s insurance industry for many years in Sacramento before his conviction on racketeering, mail fraud and money laundering charges.

An undercover investigation by the FBI also snared Robbins and other legislators.

To reduce his sentence, Robbins agreed to work as a government informant, and he secretly recorded a series of meetings with Jackson in 1991. At one point, the two men discussed the steering of a workers’ compensation bill opposed by Jackson’s clients to Robbins’ Senate insurance committee.

Robbins asked how much it would be worth, and Jackson answered $250,000.

That taped conversation was played for Jackson’s jury.

In upholding Jackson’s conviction, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in July that the jury had not confused good politics with corrupt politics.

“There can be no serious argument that Jackson is an innocent man convicted by a jury whose real problem was prejudice against the democratic process,” the appeals court said.

“Jackson’s bribery, money laundering and mail fraud schemes provide such a clear and extreme case of corruption that there is no danger that legitimate lobbyists could confuse 1st Amendment political expression with the type of behavior for which Jackson was convicted,” the 9th Circuit concluded.