Appeals Court agrees; DeLay Conspiracy charge dismissed

According to the Associated Press 04-19-2006 a Texas Appeals court today agreed with a lower court ruling that the Texas Law on conspiracy did not apply to Tom DeLay's actions on money laundering in 2002.

This does not mean DeLay did not conspire to illegally launder corporate money to change control of the Texas House of Representative in 2002. Because the Legislature revised the statute in 2003 to clarify that actions such as those taken by DeLay were covered, the court has decided that the earlier version of the law did not apply to what Tom DeLay is accused by Austin District Attorney Ronnie Earle of doing.

The underlying felony action of money laundering to avoid the Texas Law against the use of corporate money in Texas elections is still going forward to trial. With this appeal decided, the trial date can now be set. It will probably be sometime in late Summer now.