Supreme Court to hear Contrad Black case

The U. S. Supreme Court decided Monday to review the conviction of former Hollinger CEO Contrad Black. Black received a 6 1/2 year prison sentence after being convicted of mail fraud and obstruction of justice:

The decision to review the Black case will involve the court in an evolving controversy about how mail and wire fraud laws have been expanded by a provision covering deprivation of the "right to honest services." The provision has made it easier for prosecutors to convict public officials, but the lower courts are divided about how it relates to private employers.

Hollinger at one time owned The Carthage Press and Neosho Daily News.