Hynes Plans To Pursue Norman for a Fourth Time

The acquittal of Clarence Norman Jr. in the third trial against the former assemblyman will not likely affect the Brooklyn district attorney's decision to try him again in the coming months.

A spokesman for District Attorney Charles Hynes said prosecutors are ready to try Norman, also the former Brooklyn Democratic leader, a fourth time. The charges against Norman, announced in 2003, stem from an investigation into whether the process of nominating judges in Brooklyn, where county leaders once had tremendous power in selecting judicial candidates for the November ballot.

Political observers expect the fourth and final trial against Norman to disclose the extent of power he had in picking judges; the first three trials involved allegations of Norman's mismanagement of his campaign funds and theft of state money.

After more than a day of deliberations, a jury on Friday acquitted Norman of charges that he had stolen more than $5,000 in reimbursement for travel to and from Albany in a car that the county Democratic organization paid for. For Norman, the low point in the weeklong trial came March 17, when the speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, testified that he would not have filed for reimbursement under the same conditions as Norman had. Mr. Silver had been a political ally of Norman's and had appointed him deputy speaker.

The acquittal is Norman's first in his three trials.

"God has not abandoned us," Norman said after learning of the jury's decision, according to press reports.

So far, he has been convicted of depositing a $5,000 campaign check into a personal account and asking for illegal contributions. He faces two to six years in prison; currently, he is free. Critics of the prosecutions say the actions for which Norman has been tried comprise the usual behavior among politicians.

Norman next will be tried on charges of extortion, among others, for allegedly offering his support to judicial candidates on the condition that those candidates used a particular printer for their campaign materials.