4th Circuit nixes bid for relief from Hamilton

(AP) A federal appeals court has denied an imprisoned former Virginia lawmaker’s bid to file a new appeal in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in ex-Gov. Bob McDonnell’s case.

The 4^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t say in its order why it was rejecting Phil Hamilton’s request for permission to file a new application for relief.

Hamilton was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison after being convicted in 2011 of securing a job as director of a teacher training center he helped create with taxpayer money. He argued that his case deserves another look after the high court overturned McDonnell’s corruption conviction in June.

The Supreme Court said McDonnell’s actions benefiting a businessman who gave him gifts may have been distasteful but didn’t cross the line into illegal conduct.