Appeals court throws out one of two criminal charges against Rick Perry News
Appeals court throws out one of two criminal charges against Rick Perry

The US Third Court of Appeals [official website] on Friday dismissed [opinion, PDF] one of two criminal charges filed against former Texas governor Rick Perry last year.The court stated that the coercion of a public servant [Texas Penal Code Chapter 36] charge Perry had faced infringed upon his constitutional right to freedom of speech and that the state had relied upon a definition of coercion that conflicted with that of the former governor’s attorney. The court however did not throw out an abuse of power [Texas Penal Code Chapter 39] charge against Perry.

In January, a Texas state judge refused to dismiss [JURIST report] criminal charges against Perry. A Travis county grand jury indicted [JURIST report] Perry on two felony charges for abuse of power in August. Perry pleaded [JURIST report] not guilty to the charges. Perry was also a controversial figure while in office. In July 2013 he signed into law [JURIST report] House Bill 2 [text], which enacted three new restrictions on the practice of abortion. Also in 2013 Perry vetoed [JURIST report] a bill [HB 950 text] intended to prevent payment discrimination and make it easier for women to obtain equal pay.