A judge says he will decide by the end of the week if former Governor Don Siegelman should be released from prison while appealing his 2006 bribery conviction.
U.S. District Court Judge Clay Land held a hearing Monday in Montgomery. Siegelman was transported to the hearing from a federal prison in Louisiana.
Land said he has to decide the likelihood of Siegelman winning before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals next month. Land questioned the prosecution and defense on whether the original U.S. attorney's ties to Republican politics tainted the prosecution of the former Democratic governor.
A federal prosecutor said former U.S. Attorney Leura Canary had minimal involvement after her recusal from the case. Siegelman's lawyer said Canary championed the case even after her recusal.