Court denies former Gov. Ryan a hearing.

And I look for Ryan to fight his case all the way to the Supreme Court.

CHICAGO (AP) - Looking at more than six years in prison and turned down for the second time by a federal appeals court, former Gov. George Ryan called his old friend and defense attorney, Gov. James R. Thompson.

“I told him to keep fighting,” Thompson said Thursday after the federal court refused to grant Ryan and co-defendant Larry Warner a fresh hearing on their corruption convictions.

“He told me that he would keep fighting,” Thompson told reporters. “What do you think he’s going to do, quit? He won’t quit.”

Thompson said he would try to keep the 73-year-old Ryan free on bond while he appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.

But that appeared to hold out little more than a glimmer of hope because the high court takes few cases.

“If the Supreme Court does not hear our appeal that will be the end of the line and Gov. Ryan will have to report to prison,” Thompson said.

With Ryan running out of options, one of the biggest scandals ever to sweep through Illinois politics seemed headed to its final chapter after nine years of investigations and trials.

In a dramatic 6-3 decision, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request from Ryan and co-defendant Larry Warner for a rehearing by all of the sitting judges of their corruption convictions.

Thompson hoped that the appeals court would extend Ryan’s bond one more time while the last-ditch effort was made in the Supreme Court.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald issued a statement Thursday saying the government was “pleased that the full Court of Appeals has decided to let stand the initial careful opinion of the court’s majority, which held that the defendants received a fair trial.”

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/10/26/news/state/doc4721b8be11651824084761.txt