AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ The 3rd Court of Appeals has declined to review a decision that a Texas money laundering law was unconstitutionally vague.
It’s a setback for prosecutors in a case with ties to former Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
The decision comes in a case involving John Colyandro and Jim Ellis and their role in alleged money laundering for DeLay’s Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee. DeLay is not a defendant.
Prosecutors wanted the appeals court to reconsider a previous ruling that the law applied to cash — not checks.
The 3-2 decision was split along political lines, with three Republicans voting not to send the case to the full court for consideration.