AUSTIN, Texas Dec 8, 2005 — A state district judge told Rep. Tom DeLay's lawyers that he won't schedule hearings in DeLay's money laundering and conspiracy case until after Christmas, a blow to the lawmaker's hopes to speedily clear his name and reclaim his position as House majority leader.
In a letter to DeLay's attorneys Wednesday, Senior Judge Pat Priest said he'll be working on other cases and won't be available until Dec. 27 to take up pending motions in DeLay's case stemming from a 2002 campaign finance scheme.
DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin had also asked Priest to tentatively schedule a trial for the first or second week of January. Priest wrote that a trial date depends on whether the state appeals his decision earlier this week to dismiss another conspiracy charge and would not commit to a January trial. An appeal would delay the case.
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Priest also indicated DeLay will have to share a trial with Ellis and Colyandro. Defense attorneys wanted the cases separated, and Ellis and Colyandro wanted later trials so their attorneys would have more time to try to persuade an appeals courts to dismiss the charges.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1387616A hopeful Hastert had delayed the House session until the end of January. Oh, well...