Jailed blogger denied Thanksgiving furlough

Josh Wolf, the video blogger behind bars for refusing to hand over unpublished source material, won't be enjoying a home-cooked meal today.

Video: Hear from the first jailed blogger
Josh Wolf speaks at press conference

A federal judge on Tuesday denied Wolf's request for a Thanksgiving furlough, according to a court order issued by U.S. District Judge William Alsup.

At a hearing earlier that day, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Alsup suggested that allowing Wolf a few days of holiday freedom might undercut the reason he has been imprisoned--to coerce him into surrendering a video of a San Francisco political protest under investigation by a federal grand jury.

Wolf, 24, has been jailed for three months, in two stints. Last week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied his request for rehearing in his case. Barring any intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court, he is likely to remain in the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, Calif., until the grand jury's term expires in July. That would give Wolf the distinction of being the journalist who has served the longest time in jail--in the history of the United States--for refusing to give up his sources or divulge unpublished material.