Following a federal appeals court's decision overturning the 2011 conviction of MLB's home run King and Instagram sensation Barry Bonds for obstruction of justice last April, the Department of Justice has admitted defeat. The DOJ had a few avenues to appeal the decision including a petition to the United States Supreme Court. Instead, they filed a brief notice saying it would not be doing so.
Bonds was initially convicted for obstruction of justice based on his testimony before a federal grand jury in 2003. He was indicted in 2007 and a jury convicted him in 2011 for his response to the question of whether trainer Greg Anderson provided him with "anything that required a syringe to inject yourself with."
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"That's what keeps our friendship," Bonds said. "I was a celebrity child, not just in baseball by my own instincts. I became a celebrity child with a famous father. I just don't get into other people's business because of my father's situation, you see."
A three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction in 2013 before an 11-judge panel overturned it this April.
In addition to going all the way to the Supreme Court, the DOJ could have also asked the 11-judge panel to reconsider the April decision to overturn the conviction, or they could have asked all 29 judges on the 9th Circuit to rehear the case. Instead, the Department of Justice will not challenge the ruling.
Update:Barry Bonds has issued a statement, saying the decision gives him "great peace." The full statement is below:The finality of today's decision gives me great peace. As I have said before, this outcome is something I have long wished for. I am relieved, humbled and thankful for what this means for me and my family moving forward. Throughout this process my faith in God, along with so many who have supported me, is what has kept me going. Thank you to all of you who have expressed your heartfelt wishes to me; for that, I am grateful. I'd also like to thank my outstanding legal team for their continued work on my behalf.[AP]
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