The judge overseeing the corruption case against Bob McDonnell has denied his motion to remain free while he appeals:

A federal judge on Tuesday denied former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell’s request to remain free while he appeals his corruption convictions, which means he could begin his two-year prison sentence by 9 February.

US district judge James Spencer in Richmond denied the request, unpersuaded by arguments from McDonnell’s lawyers before his 6 January sentencing. Prosecutors had opposed the request.

On Monday, McDonnell’s attorneys had reiterated the request and argued that the appeal could take almost as long as the sentence itself. They also said the appeal would raise substantial questions, including whether the government’s interpretation of an “official act” is correct.

But in his Tuesday decision, Spencer said it’s not a “close question” that justifies release pending appeal. He also noted that he previously concluded that “substantial evidence supports the jury’s finding of a quid and fairly specific, related quo”. And he dismissed arguments raising concerns over the jury selection process and deliberations.

One would hope that some time in the slam will give him a broader view of the diverse tapestry, but I rather imagine, like the Humbug from Norton Juster’s masterpiece The Phantom Tollbooth, he will, “Swim all day in the Sea of Knowledge and not get wet.”

I could be wrong about his possibility of finding perspective or perhaps enlightenment in prison, but I do not expect this to happen.

Still, the fact that he is less than a month from going into the slam provides me a bit of (admittedly cruel) perverse satisfaction.