As options run out, ex-Virginia gov. turns to Supreme Court

(AP) — His legal options running out, former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on Thursday turned to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking that he be allowed to stay out of prison while he makes his final appeal on public corruption convictions.

[...] McDonnell's attorneys filed an emergency application hours later to the Supreme Court, asking for a delay of the lower court's decision or to let McDonnell remain free on bond while he makes his final appeal.

"There is no dispute, at the threshold, that he is not a flight risk or threat to public safety," the court filing says.

Last week, the appeals court refused to reconsider a three-judge panel's unanimous ruling upholding McDonnell's convictions but said nothing about his bond status.

Legal experts say that once the appeals court completes its review and a conviction is final, the federal probation office compiles information about the defendant's case and background and forwards it to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The agency analyzes the information and determines what type of programs the defendant might need — substance abuse counseling or high school equivalency courses, for example — and determines the appropriate security level and designates a prison.