Free Republic

AUSTIN, TX — Ronnie Earle, who served as Travis County district attorney for more than three decades, died Sunday after a long illness. Earle was 78 years old.

HOUSTON (AP) — The highest criminal court in Texas refused Wednesday to reinstate two money-laundering convictions against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, ending a nearly decade-long criminal case against the one-time GOP heavyweight. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld a ruling last year from the 3rd Court of Appeals that tossed the Republican's 2010 convictions for money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Travis County prosecutors had argued in June before the Austin-based Court of Criminal Appeals that the convictions be reinstated in what they called a scheme to influence Texas state elections. "We agree with...

Ronnie Earle's problematic record as Travis County District Attorney is coming back to haunt him - yet again. Earle, a Democrat, made a name for himself with some clever legal sophistry: specifically, he convinced a gullible jury in liberal Travis County, Texas, that former Republican House Speaker Tom DeLay was guilty of "money laundering" related to his funneling of campaign contributions to Republican candidates. A Texas Appeals Court recently dismissed the charges, ruling DeLay had broken no laws. Delay had called the prosecution the criminalization of politics. Now, another case overseen by Earle in the liberal enclave of Travis County...

>BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Tom DeLay. Tom DeLay's nickname was "The Hammer." The Democrats thought that was very bad. He was nicknamed "The Hammer" because DeLay had magic when it came time to corral votes on the Republican side in the House of Representatives, starting back in 1995 when the Republican freshman class was sworn in and they assumed control of the House for the first time in 40 years, Tom DeLay was the whip. Tom DeLay got the votes. He was nicknamed "The Hammer," and because he was so good, he was unapologetically good, Tom DeLay did not worry about...

With Texas judge Pat Priest imposing a sentence of three years in prison on former House majority leader Tom DeLay, it is not an exaggeration to say that this is the culmination of an undeserved, unjustified, and unconscionable act of political persecution. It is the result of an abusive prosecution that exemplifies the drive to criminalize politics and to make the ordinary processes of raising and spending funds for political campaigns a crime. The man who should be on trial in Texas is Ronnie Earle, the unethical Travis County prosecutor who went after DeLay as part of a political vendetta...

Around Washington, Rep. Tom DeLay was known as "the Hammer." It's a title he earned for his effective ness when he served in the role of majority whip. The whip is the person tasked with counting votes and building support for legislation. As whip, Mr. DeLay was uniquely effective at enacting and implementing the Contract With America and key portions of the George W. Bush agenda. He also was able to flex his political muscle within the state of Texas to leave his mark on the redistricting process. Tom DeLay was a very skilled politician. He understood the legislative and...

For five years, the case against Tom DeLay for money laundering through his Texans for a Republican Majority PAC has been seemingly trapped in the Texas courts facing pre-trial appeals. On November 1, it finally made it to trial and today the verdict is in: guilty on both money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The slightly-less-than-humble DeLay lost his majority leadership in Congress after the indictment came down, but he has maintained his claims that this case was politically motivated throughout the entire process right up to defense attorney Dick DeGuerin's closing arguments. The jury clearly didn't buy...

Jurors considering the political money laundering case against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Tuesday delved deep into the evidence, but asked so many legal questions that the judge warned them that they were getting off track... DeLay had with him a copy of Empire of the Summer Moon, a recent nonfiction book about the Comanche people and their famed chief, Quanah Parker, and a TouchPoint Bible that allows readers to find Scripture relevant to their lives. "No demons, nor angels nor DAs can keep you separated from the love of Jesus Christ," DeLay said, playing off of...

Five years after former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay demanded a speedy trial on political money laundering charges, a Travis County jury is now determining his fate. The six-man, six-woman panel showed up at court Monday with a majority of the members dressed in black. They elected one of the women as foreman. And when they returned three times to the courtroom to ask the judge questions during their four hours of deliberation, they all looked away from DeLay. The jurors also were asking visiting Judge Pat Priest questions that indicated they were buying into DeLay's defense that no...

...Prosecutors contend that the former House majority leader used his PAC to illegally funnel $190,000 in corporate donations into Texas legislative races eight years ago. DeLay, who was spending Election Day in court, is charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He has denied any wrongdoing. If convicted, Delay could face up to life in prison... Ceverha said corporate funds had been gathered to pay for the PAC's administrative costs and not for candidates. ...The money helped Republicans in 2002 take control of the Texas House. That majority allowed Republicans to push through a congressional redistricting plan...

Labor leader Linda Chavez-Thompson won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor on Tuesday, capturing 53 percent of the primary vote against two opponents. She now faces incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the fall in a race that will be an uphill battle for the Democrat. Chavez-Thompson used her support from labor and Hispanic groups to establish a strong position in the race and also outspent her opponents - including former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle - by a substantial margin. Chavez-Thompson, 65, of San Antonio, is a former executive vice president of the AFL-CIO and a vice...

This is so potentially great, even greater than we thought it could be. For a while, ex-Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle talked about running for governor. That could have led to a November battle between Democrat Earle and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, now running against Gov. Rick Perry in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Earle v. Hutchison would have been a rematch of the battle previously known as The State of Texas v. Hutchison, a long-ago criminal case in which Earle was The State of Texas and he wanted to send Hutchison to prison for up to 51 years. The...

Former DA Earle running for Lt. Gov. By Kate Alexander | Friday, December 18, 2009, 06:36 PM Former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle is running for lieutenant governor of Texas. Earle, who retired last year after more than three decades as district attorney, filed paperwork with the Texas Democratic Party late Friday to seek the party’s nomination for the statewide office. The winner of the Democratic primary in March will probably face the Republican incumbent David Dewhurst next fall. At this point, Earle is the sole filer for the party’s nomination, but Austin deli owner Marc Katz is...

No one would have guessed that Tom DeLay's next career move would involve dancing, so the announcement that the former House Majority Leader would be a contestant on the upcoming season of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" raised the eyebrows of politicos everywhere. The network has now released some promo photos of DeLay with his dancing partner, Cheryl Burke. DeLay appears to enjoying his new role, sporting sweat pants and a shirt from his organization Rio Bend, which works to improve the nation's foster care system. His own slimmer waistline can be attributed to the personal trainer he's been using...

Now that Congress has recessed, and since the conventions aren’t for a couple of weeks, Thursday’s The Situation Room turned back to the "hot" issue of what many liberals are calling on congressional Democrats to do: arrest and lock-up Karl Rove for his failure to testify on the issue of the firing of U.S. attorneys in late 2006. CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, as part of a report on this possible move by the Democrats, conducted a search for the supposed jail inside the U.S. Capitol. He also addressed the little-used power of the legislature to arrest and try government officials...

Ronnie Earle's legacy as Travis County district attorney If Ronnie Earle were a fisherman, he might spend time talking about the ones that got away. Others certainly do. Earle, who officially vacated his post as Travis County district attorney on Thursday, might be remembered most for the failed prosecutions of some of the biggest names in Texas politics. Indeed, his short-term legacy will be influenced heavily by unfinished business. Yet to be resolved are indictments that caused former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay — the no-compromise conservative firebrand — to step down. Then, of course, there are the unresolved Yogurt Shop...

LUFKIN — Mae Smith, the 64-year-old mayor of the teeny Central Texas town of Holland, seized the civic center lectern like a dragon-slayer ascending the throne. In a fiery red pantsuit and a voice that echoed without the help of a malfunctioning microphone, she and her cohorts revealed to a crowd of about 50 souls clad in denim and plaid a little-known weapon against the foe of all in the room: Gov. Rick Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor. The weapon, Smith said, doesn't involve marching on the Texas Capitol, like more than 1,000 did last year, some on tractors and horses. It...

It’s looking like a tough year for toll roads in Texas, and no one could be happier about that than Terri Hall, the San Antonio woman whose group is leading the grassroots fight against the controversial pay-to-drive roads that Gov. Rick Perry and others want to see crisscrossing the state. In September, Hall and her group, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF), filed suit in the state district court in Austin against the Texas Department of Transportation, alleging that TxDOT has broken the law by using public funds to lobby legislators for laws favoring toll roads. TURF and Hall...

- - Ronnie Earle says Rosemary Lehmberg is best of four assistants running for post. Saying he has a duty after more than 30 years in office to tell the public what he thinks, departing Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle announced Monday that he is endorsing his top deputy, Rosemary Lehmberg, in the race to replace him. The decision came as no surprise to courthouse watchers and the three other Democratic candidates for Earle's job, they said. Assistant District Attorney Gary Cobb, 46, one of those candidates, said it would have been "a slap in the face" if Earle...

After more than three decades as the Travis County District Attorney, Democrat Ronnie Earle's seat is up for grabs. It won't be taken by a Republican since no one from the GOP filed to run in the March primary. The main watchdog position in Texas will stay in the hands of Democrats. "Obviously the issue that sets this particular district attorney position apart from any other in the state of Texas is the presence of the Public Integrity Unit," Travis County Democratic Chairman Chris Elliott said. The district attorney doubles as the primary ethics enforcer for the state government. Republicans...