State prosecutors are urging an appellate court to uphold the ethics conviction of former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard.
The attorney general's office argued this week in a court filing that Hubbard's behavior was in clear violation of the law.
A jury last year convicted Hubbard of ethics violations, including that he wrongly took investments, employment and financial advice from people with businesses before the Alabama Legislature.
State lawyers wrote that if Hubbard's conduct didn't violate the state ethics law, then the law is "a sham."
Hubbard's lawyers asked the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to overturn the conviction. They argued prosecutors stretched the bounds of the law to bring charges against him.
A judge sentenced Hubbard to four years in prison. Hubbard is free on bond while he appeals.