Texas appeals court upholds dismissal of DeLay criminal conspiracy charge News
Texas appeals court upholds dismissal of DeLay criminal conspiracy charge

[JURIST] The Texas Third Court of Appeals [official website] on Wednesday upheld a lower court decision [JURIST report] dismissing a conspiracy charge [JURIST document] against US Rep. Tom DeLay [official website; JURIST news archive]. DeLay was indicted on money laundering and conspiracy charges [JURIST report] last year, but Senior District Judge Pat Priest dismissed the conspiracy charges [JURIST report], ruling that the former House majority leader could not be tried for conspiracy to violate the state election code for his actions in 2002 because the law was not enacted by the legislature until 2003. The money laundering charge still stands though a trial date has not yet been set.

DeLay was forced to step down from his position last year as House majority leader after being indicted and earlier this month, DeLay announced that he would resign his seat [JURIST report] in the US House of Representatives. AP has more. The Houston Chronicle has local coverage.

THIS DAY @ LAW

China passes current constitution

On December 4, 1982, the Fifth National People's Congress passed the current Constitution of China.

FDR established Federal Alcohol Control Administration

On December 4, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt established the Federal Alcohol Control Administration (FACA) by executive order under the National Industrial Recovery Act just prior to the formal end of Prohibition. FACA was charged with guiding legitimate wineries and distilleries under a system based on brewers' voluntary codes of fair competition. It effectively vanished from history after just twenty months, when President Roosevelt in August 1935 signed the Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act, lodging alcohol regulation exclusively with the US Treasury Department, where it currently remains under the jurisdiction of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, formerly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).