A judge has denied former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman's request to get out of prison while he continues to appeal his 2006 bribery conviction.
U.S. District Judge Clay Land of Georgia said while Siegelman raised "significant issues that deserve serious consideration," he believes the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is unlikely to grant the former governor a new trial or a significantly reduced sentence.
The 68 year old Siegelman has been serving a six and one-half-year sentence at a Louisiana prison camp.
The former Democratic governor is arguing his 2006 trial was tainted by the involvement of a prosecutor with ties to GOP politics. His lawyers also say the trial judge made legal mistakes when sentencing Siegelman.
Land noted that the 11th Circuit already rejected similar arguments from Siegelman's co-defendant, Richard Scrushy.