The Government

BRENDA MORRIS: A career prosecutor with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, Morris now serves as its principal deputy.

NICHOLAS MARSH: One of two Public Integrity trial attorneys on the Stevens case, Marsh handled much of the courtroom work during the trials of Alaska lawmakers caught up in the scandal.

EDWARD SULLIVAN: The other Public Integrity trial attorney in the case, Sullivan was part of the trial team that won convictions of several Alaska lawmakers caught up in the corruption scandal.

JOSEPH BOTTINI: One of two assistant prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Anchorage assigned to work with Public Integrity on the Stevens case. Bottini went to high school in Anchorage and in 1993 served briefly as acting U.S. Attorney for Alaska.

JAMES GOEKE: The other prosecutor from U.S. Attorney's office.

WILLIAM WELCH: Head of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section and the person with overall management of the prosecution. The Springfield, Mass., Republican reported last month that he's seeking appointment as the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, his native state.

PAUL O'BRIEN: Chief of the Justice Department's Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section, he and two other Justice Department attorneys took over the post-trial phase of the Stevens case when Morris and Welch were held in contempt. He signed the motion seeking to dismiss the case.

The Defense

TED STEVENS: The Senate's longest-serving Republican and long Alaska's political patriarch (named "Alaskan of the Century" in 2000). He was charged with lying about gifts and home renovations he received from corrupt oil field services contractor Bill Allen. After being found guilty, lost to Democrat Mark Begich.

BRENDAN SULLIVAN: Among the best and most respected attorneys in the country. He is perhaps most famous for representing Oliver North in the Iran-Contra scandal. During a congressional hearing, when Sen. Dan Inouye, Stevens' best friend in the Senate, pressed him to stop objecting on North's behalf, Sullivan famously said: "Well sir, I'm not a potted plant. I'm here as the lawyer. That's my job."

ROBERT CARY: Cary generally practices white-collar defense; he played a key role in managing the Stevens defense.

ALEX ROMAIN: Also with Williams & Connolly, Romain specializes in complex civil litigation.

The Judge

EMMET G. SULLIVAN: A longtime judge in federal and municipal courtrooms, Sullivan has been named to the bench by presidents of both parties. President Reagan named him to Washington's Superior Court in 1984. The first President Bush appointed him to the city's appeals court in 1991. President Clinton named him to the federal bench in 1994.

The Key Witness

BILL ALLEN: A founder of Veco Corp., the once-powerful Alaska oil field services company that is now owned by Denver-based CH2M Hill. Allen has pleaded guilty, admitting that he and his vice president, Rick Smith, bribed state lawmakers to push for oil-friendly legislation.

-- Compiled by the Associated Press and Daily News staff