JURIST - Paper Chase: DeLay prosecutor asks Texas high court to reinstate conspiracy charge

[JURIST] Travis County Prosecutor Ronnie Earle [official profile] has filed an appeal in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals [official website], the highest criminal court in the state, requesting that conspiracy charges [JURIST document] against US Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) [official website; JURIST news archive] be reinstated. Last month, the Texas Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld [JURIST report] a lower court's decision to dismiss the indictment [JURIST report] but refused to dismiss money laundering charges [JURIST document]. The court ruled that DeLay could not be prosecuted because the campaign finance law he allegedly broke in 2002 was not enacted until 2003. DeLay is accused of transferring $190,000 in corporate money directly to the Republican National Convention, which then donated the same amount to local Texas campaigns. No trial date has been set for the money laundering charges, which will be pushed back pending the outcome of the final appeal.

Earle has previously said that DeLay's decision to resign from Congress [JURIST report] completely in June will not affect the prosecution of the case [JURIST report]. AP has more.

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