(CN) - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked the state high court to forcibly remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office after the FBI arrested the governor Tuesday on federal corruption charges. Madigan said Blagojevich is "unable to serve as governor due to disability and should not rightfully continue to hold that office."
She added that removal is necessary, because the governor's "continued occupation of that office could irreparably damage the state's interests."
She urged the justices to issue a temporary restraining order or an injunction barring Blagojevich from acting as governor or filling President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, which he allegedly tried to sell to the highest bidder.
Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9, after FBI agents tapped his phone and allegedly heard him discussing how to leverage the empty Senate seat for personal gain, among other purported schemes.
Blagojevich has since refused to step down, despite calls for his resignation by Obama and other politicians.
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