Former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill, indicted about 28 years ago in that City Hall low-income-housing bribery and extortion case that started back in the days of eight-tracks and bell-bottoms, has tried every which way to get out of his trial, scheduled for January 20. First, he claimed the U.S. Attorney didn't like black people and Democrats, a strategy first employed by Kanye West. Then, Hill claimed he didn't have the dough-re-mi to pay his attorney and asked the government to fund his defense. But having gone for broke, Hill's now just going for boring.

On Friday in federal court, Hill and his BMW-providing missus Sheila Farrington; developer Brian Potashnik and his wife Cheryl; former City Plan Commissioner D'Angelo Lee and pretty much everyone else associated with the case filed for an extension -- till June 22, 2009 -- claiming their attorneys are, like, busy. To which the government yesterday said, in short, Oooooh, nice try. The judge'll rule shortly. We're hoping for a January 20 start, if only because there's always that dry spell after the holidays when you need a little pick-me-up. This'll be that. The two docs are after the jump, for those iced in and in need of light reading. --Robert Wilonsky

Don Hill et al's Motion to Delay Government's Response