DENVER - Two groups have filed a friend-of-the-court brief asking the Supreme Court to review former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio's insider trading conviction.

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the New York Council of Defense Lawyers filed the brief last week.

Nacchio has argued that his trial judge improperly barred testimony from an expert who could have explained Nacchio's trading patterns and whether the alleged insider information he held was significant.

The lawyers' groups say the trial judge's decision was based on a misapplication of federal rules and a misunderstanding of criminal trial practice.

Nacchio is serving a six-year sentence. Qwest Communications International Inc. is based in Denver and provides service to Wyoming and other western states.