Former Pittsburgh-area state Senator Jane Orie's request to be released on bail while appealing her conviction on campaign corruption charges has been denied.
 
Orie's attorney requested last week that the former lawmaker be released while she appeals her March conviction on charges she used her taxpayer-funded staff for campaign purposes. Prosecutors opposed that request Monday, and a judge rejected it Tuesday.
 
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says Orie's attorneys are seeking a new trial on the grounds that the judge erred by barring discussion of the "personal animus" between her family and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.
 
The defense alleged that the charges were politically motivated, which prosecutors denied.Two other Orie sisters are charged in the campaign corruption investigation, including suspended state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin.