--- title: Supreme Court Overturns Gov. Bob McDonnell's Conviction description: The Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on public corruption charges canonical: https://time.com/4383628/supreme-court-virginia-governor-bob-mcdonnell/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-27T14:47:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-15T00:11:03.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Supreme Court Overturns Conviction of Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell og:description: The Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on public corruption charges og:url: https://time.com/4383628/supreme-court-virginia-governor-bob-mcdonnell/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf61cdaaf7b2f4e4c/698899890a4a22a2ed9ca3ce/former-governor-mcdonnell-scotus.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Bob McDonnell og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Supreme Court Overturns Conviction of Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell twitter:description: The Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on public corruption charges twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf61cdaaf7b2f4e4c/698899890a4a22a2ed9ca3ce/former-governor-mcdonnell-scotus.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Supreme Court Overturns Conviction of Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Updated: Dec 15, 2023 12:11 AM UTCPublished: Jun 27, 2016 2:47 PM UTC  Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell speaks outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 27, 2016. Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell speaks outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 27, 2016. Andrew Harnik—AP by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Updated: Dec 15, 2023 12:11 AM UTCPublished: Jun 27, 2016 2:47 PM UTC The Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of former [Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell](http://time.com/3270301/bob-mcdonnell-maureen-virginia-guilty-verdict/) on public corruption charges, reversing a previous ruling and paving the way for a retrial. The court’s decision was[ unanimous.](http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/mcdonnell-v-united-states/) Gov. McDonnell and his wife Maureen were [convicted of public corruption in 2014](http://time.com/3270301/bob-mcdonnell-maureen-virginia-guilty-verdict/) for accepting gifts from a donor for whom the McDonnells promoted a dietary supplement. McDonnell was sentenced to serve two years in prison, but the former governor has been free on bond as he awaits appeal. His wife’s appeal is still pending and could be affected by the Supreme Court’s decision. In a statement released after the ruling, an attorney for Maureen said they are “extremely gratified” by the Court’s decision, which they said should require that her conviction be overturned as well. “This decision applies no less to our client Maureen McDonnell and requires that her conviction immediately be tossed out as well, which we are confident the prosecutors must agree with,” attorney William A. Burck said in a statement.“Mrs. McDonnell, like her husband, was wrongfully convicted.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4383628/supreme-court-virginia-governor-bob-mcdonnell/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4383628/supreme-court-virginia-governor-bob-mcdonnell/"},"headline":"Supreme Court Overturns Conviction of Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell","datePublished":"2016-06-27T14:47:20.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-15T00:11:03.000Z","description":"The former Virginia governor had been convicted of corruption in 2014","url":"https://time.com/4383628/supreme-court-virginia-governor-bob-mcdonnell/","keywords":["Supreme Court","justice"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf61cdaaf7b2f4e4c/698899890a4a22a2ed9ca3ce/former-governor-mcdonnell-scotus.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf61cdaaf7b2f4e4c/698899890a4a22a2ed9ca3ce/former-governor-mcdonnell-scotus.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Bob McDonnell","caption":"Former Virginia Gov. 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