Attorney seeks more freedom for ex-Gov. Ryan

Attorneys for former Gov. George Ryan asked an appellate court Friday to let their client remain free while he appeals his conviction.

The request came after a federal judge set Nov. 7 as the date the 73-year-old Ryan will have to report to prison -- likely in Duluth, Minn. -- to begin a 6½-year term for his conviction on corruption charges. On Thursday, Ryan's bid for an appeal of his trial conviction was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit, in a 6-3 decision.

In arguing for Ryan's freedom, his attorneys pointed to numerous errors in his trial, as well as to Ryan's role as a grandfather to 17 and his long-time roots in his hometown of Kankakee.

Ryan's legal team argued that giving him bond is the right thing partly because the dissenting justices had concluded that " 'a cascade of errors turn(ed) a trial into a travesty,' " according to a motion the attorneys filed in court.

The attorneys argued that issues of jury irregularities in Ryan's trial were so egregious that they amount to a substantial question of law, under which courts can allow defendants to remain free while they appeal.

In addition, the former governor and his family "have substantial lifelong connections to the area and around Kankakee … He is a 73-year-old grandfather whose life revolves around his 17 grandchildren."

The appeals court is not obliged to rule anytime soon, but one of Ryan's attorneys, James R. Thompson, said he expects it will rule before Nov. 7.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer set Nov. 7 as Ryan's day to report to prison if his bond request is denied. Ryan is so far set to report to a facility in Duluth, Minn., but his attorneys are trying to persuade the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to allow him to serve his time in Oxford, Wis.

If Ryan's motion for bond before the Seventh Circuit fails, he will ask the U.S. Supreme Court for bond, but experts say that almost always fails.